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UNIVERSITY OF
TORONTO PRESS

Digitized by the Internet Archive
in 2008 with funding from
Microsoft Corporation

http://www.archive.org/details/commentariesonga00calvuoft

THE

TWELFTH ANNUAL REPORT
FOR THE YEAR 1854.

Ac English Cranslations of Calvin's orks.

ReFerRinG to the circumstances detailed in the last Annual
Report, and*the Resolution and explanations therein detailed, as
to the completion of the present Series, in December 1855, the
Secretary has now the pleasure of stating, that, during the past
year, every exertion has been made to bring the operations of the
Society to a close in a satisfactory manner—so far as the interests
of the Subscribers are concerned—within the period prescribed.

The Books which have been prepared, in return for the Annual
Subscriptions received for the year 1854, are the following :—

IT. ComMMENTARIES ON THE LAST FouR Booxs or Mosgs, ArR-
tANGED IN THE rorM or A Harmony, Vol. LI., with Anno-
tations, &c., by the Rev. Charles W. Bingham, M.A.,
Rector of Meleombe-Horsey, Dorset, and formerly Fellow
of New College, Oxford.

Il. Commentarizs oN THE Book or THE PropuEeT JEREMIAH,
Vol. IV., with Annotations, &c., and a New Translation of
the Text corresponding to the Contents. By the Rev. John
Owen, Vicar of Thrussington and Rural Dean, Leicester-
shire.

_ IT. Commenrartes on THE Episttes or Sr. Paut To THE
GaLaTIANs AND Epnestans, with Annotations; and a New
Translation of both of these Epistles, to which are appended
Tables anda General Index. By the Rev. William Pringle.
(Completed. )

IV. Commenrarirs upon THE Boox or Josnua, with Tables
anda General Index. By Henry Beveridge, Esq. : Professor
Tuotuck’s DisserTarion on the value of Calvin as an
Interpreter of Scripture: and Opinions and TrsTmonius
respecting the Writings of John Calvin.—(Completed. )

These Volumes form the Twenty-third and Twenty-fourth Issues.

Z NEW TRANSLATIONS OF CALVIN’S WORKS.

The four Volumes above-mentioned are in the course of being
transmitted, through the usual channels, to every Member whose
Subscriptions have hitherto reached ruz Orrice, 9, Northumberland
Street, Edinburgh. Parties whose friends or Correspondents have
omitted to remit their AnNuAL Supscriprions and Arrears, will
be so good as instruct them to do so without delay, by Post-Office,
or Bank Orders, or Cheques, payable to the Secretary, and their
Parcels will immediately be sent free of Carriage to any address in
London, Dublin, or Edinburgh; or they will be booked at Railway
Offices, or other Public conveyances, to be forwarded from thence,
at their own risk and expense, to their respective destinations.
Those who wish their Bankers or Agents to pay their Subscriptions
will be pleased to send the Secretary a special Mandate to that
effect.

To facilitate the prompt and accurate delivery of future parcels,
Subscribers are particularly requested to send timely notice to the
Office of the Secretary of all the changes of Residence and Address,
or of any alteration in the present mode of conveyance.

The necessity of making prompt and punctual payment of the
Annual Contributions is again most earnestly impressed on_ the
Subscribers, so as to enable the Secretary to arrange the various
materials—to put the Works to press at an earlier date than hereto-
fore—and to regulate the number of copies to be printed. If the
Members were uniformly to transmit their Annual payments direct
to the Office in Edinburgh, in January or February of each year,
all the other arrangements would be thereby greatly facilitated,
and speedier delivery of the Books would also be secured till the
close of the Society’s operations.

Tue Works which are in preparation for THE LAST YEAR OF THIS
ScHEME (1855,) in return for the Annual Subscription payable on
the First day of January 1855, and which will form the Twenty-
fifth and T'wenty-sixth Issues, are the following :-—

1. Commentary AND Harmony oF THE Pentrareucn. Vol. IV.
—-(Completed.)

2. COMMENTARY ON THE Propuecies or JEREMIAH, Vol. V., AND
THE LAMENTATIONS OF JEREMIAH.—(Completed.)

3. COMMENTARY ON THE Episrtes to Timotuy, Titus, AND
Puitremon.—( Completed.)

4. ComMMENTARY oN THE CaTHoLic Episties, or Peter, Joun,
JAMES, AND JuDE.—(Completed.)

Att tHe Works for the Year 1855 have for a considerable

EM

+ ee.

NEW TRANSLATIONS OF CALVIN’S WORKS. 3

period been in active preparation. From the arrangements which
were made before the close of the year 1853, it is trusted that
under the permission of God, this invaluable Series of the Worxs
or Carvin will be brought to a satisfactory termination in the
month of December 1855.

RENEWED APPEAL TO SUBSCRIBERS.

On several occasions, the SrcreTary has felt himself compelled
to make known to the Subscribers to this Scheme, in general terms,
the very heavy advance he has been induced to make in further-
ance of the amended plan of New anp OricinaL TRANSLATIONS
of the choicest of the Works of Calvin; and he is advised by friends,
whose opinion and advice he is bound to respect, once more to state
the simple facts in reference to his present position.

The very unsatisfactory manner in which the Commentaries on
the Acrs and Romans had been translated in the Old English
Version, (which the Syndicate had unfortunately resolved from
the outset to present to the Subscribers,) and the antiquated and
uncouth phraseology employed in these Versions, were most un-
suitable to the taste and spirit of the times in which we live. On
this account, and in justice to his own very decided opinion on
that subject, which he had strongly expressed before the com-
mencement of the Society, the Secretary found it necessary, either
to abandon the official management of the Original Scheme, or
vigorously to carry out, on his own individual means, a plan of
exclusively New and carefully prepared Translations of the leading
and Practica, Works or Joun Carvin. He accordingly notified
this resolution to the Council in the spring of the year 1844:
After due consultation, the Committee of Management at once
resiled from all pecuniary responsibilities, as they felt assured
that the Annual Subscription of £1 was quite inadequate to meet
the increased outlays necessary for producing New Translations,
and provide costly books of reference for the use of numerous
Editors in preparing their respective volumes. The result has
proved the correctness and sound judgement of the Committee. But
although they shrunk from adopting the proposed New Transla-
tions’ Scheme, they generously offered their best advice and assist-
ance. Without hesitation or delay, he at once undertook the
whole labour and pecuniary expenditure, and from that time, all
the anxious and laborious duties of Editorial Secretary, Conductor,
and Treasurer of the entire Scheme devolved upon him. From the

4 NEW TRANSLATIONS OF CALVIN’S WORKS.

establishment of the Society in 1843—now a period of twelve
years—he has, from year to year, unshrinkingly provided the whole
of the funds necessary for the preparation, Editorial Superintend-
ence, and publication of this very extensive Series, at present con-
sisting of Forty-Eight large Octavo Volumes. This has been
done on such a liberal scale, and the works have been produced
in such a style and at such cost, that the super-expenditure
since 1843, (over and above all Subscriptions and sales of the
books,) now amounts to upwards of Three Thousand Pounds.

From the commencement of the year 1844, there has never
been fewer than Ten and frequently Twelve Volumes steadily
kept in progress in the hands of able and learned Editors, to pro-
vide for the regular and uninterrupted supply of carefully elaborated
and revised materials. This fact will, of itself, shew to such of our
Subscribers as are not conversant with such matters, the great
difficulties, ontlays, and perplexities attending the publication of
Works on so great a scale of magnitude. From first to last he has
received no pecuniary aid from Members, excepting in two instances,
where double subscriptions have been transmitted for the last three
or four years, by kind and considerate Members who were desirous
of shewing, in this manner, the interest they take in the successful
termination of the Scheme, and the expression of their individual
sympathy, by contributing thus far towards the reduction of these
oppressively large outlays.

The Secretary trusts that it is only necessary to let these few and
simple facts be known to the Subscribers at large, to induce them, and
other well-wishers of such undertakings as the present, to take a
much warmer and heartier interest in the increased circulation of
complete Sets of the Works. With a little organization and
management, and without the necessity of pecuniary advance by
those who shall be disposed to give hearty assistance, it is certain
that at least 350 or 400 Sets of the Works could readily be
disposed of by Members, individually, or by the operations of a
regularly organized and active Committee. It is hoped that every
one who is desirous of promoting this object will cheerfully co-
operate in enlarging the numbers of our Subscribers and promot-
ing the sale of the Publications by every means in their power.

Since the last Annual Report was circulated, the Secretary begs
most gratefully to announce that in May 1854 a large and influential
Commirtre has been instituted in Lonpon; and he has the pleasure
of annexing a Paper which has, within the last few days, been

~

NEW TRANSLATIONS OF CALVIN’S WORKS. vo

prepared for general circulation, in the hope that similar Com-
mittees may be formed in other quarters for the furtherance of the
same object, and that individual Subscribers may likewise be in-
duced to take a livelier interest in the generous exertions and
anticipations of the friends of the Society in London.

An earnest Appeal is therefore once more made to EACH
SUBSCRIBER to lend his utmost influence and systematic
personal support towards the extension of the Sale of complete
Sets of the Calvin Scciety’s Publications, and the increase of
its regular Members.

There are comparatively few individuals who could not prevail
on one or more of their friends to join our Scheme, or at least
influence others who have the means; while others who have the
direction of Parish, Congregational, Vestry or Lending Libraries,
Religious Societies, Reading Clubs, and other Public Institutions,
might effect the purchase of the whole Series for their respec-
tive Libraries. Other Subscribers might, individually, or with
the pecuniary assistance of a few private friends, present Sets
of the Works to their own Mruisters, to Misstonary Societies, to
deserving Srupents or Divinity, or to Rericious InstITUTIONs,
and private friends.

A few honourable and praiseworthy instances may be given at
random from the Subscription Lists of the Society, in illustration of
this efficient mode of increasing the circulation of these Books :—

Tne Free Caurcn or Scornanp have regularly supplied Six
Missionaries on their Inp1AN ScuEmp, and Four Missionaries em-
ployed in the Conversion or THE Jews, since the institution of
this Society—with complete Sets of the Works.—Private individuals
have likewise generously presented Sets to the Lonpon Crry Mits-
ston; Rexicgious Tract Society ; Stepney Cottece; Homerton
CotteceE; Liverpoon Sunpay Institute; MAperraA Liprary ;
Parker Socrety ; WetsH Catvinistic Mrernopist Conieces, at
Trevecca and Bata; St. Edmund’s Hall, Oxrorp; King’s Col-
lege, ABERDEEN; Theological Library, Marischal College, Arrr-
DEEN; Universities of Epinsuram and Sr. AnprEews ; Theological
Library, Eptnpurau Cottece; Free Church College, Epinpuran ;
Baptist College, Bristor; Presbytery of Cape Breton, Nova
Scorta; Divinity College, Benrasr; Diocesan Library, Casuet ;
Dean and Chapter Library, Perrrnorovucn ; RoruerHAmM CoLLece;
Edinburgh Setect Suzscrtption Lisrary; Edinburgh Putroso-
poicaAL , INSTITUTION; PRespytertAN Boarp or PuBLicaTion,
United States; Crertcan Liprartes, at Lancaster, Stockport,

6 NEW TRANSLATIONS OF CALVIN’S WORKS.

Lincoln’s-Inn-Fields, &c.; Tar Youne Men’s Curistran Asso-
CIATION IN Lonpon, and the kindred- Association of that name in
Dusiin—while numerous Sets areregularly transmitted to CoLLEGEs
in America, and to Misstonarres in Inpra, Curva, New ZnaLann,
&c. Besides these, it is gratifying to mention that the Public
Religious Institutions, Vestry and Parish Libraries, and Book
Clubs, who subscribe from their own respective funds, have of
late been gradually increasing in number.

The value and importance of Catyin’s CoMMENTARIES are now
much more widely known and acknowledged; and very many in-
dividuals have joined the Society, within the last few years, who
have frankly declared that at the origin of this Society they refrained
from subscribing, because they were quite ignorant of the true
character and merit of Calvin’s Writings. They therefore patiently
watched the progress of our Works until they were thoroughly
satisfied with their evangelical soundness, as well as their inestim-
able value to Ministers, in their private studies, as well as in pre-
paring for the pulpit.

Before closing this Report, it may be noticed that the Books of
the concluding year of the Calvin Society, have for a consider-
able time been in steady and satisfactory progress in the hands of
our indefatigable and learned Translators and Editors. It is
expected that the two Issues for 4855, will be delivered in the
months of August and December, when the Society’s Srrizs or
Catyrn’s Works will extend to Fifty-two large Octavo Volumes.

RECEIPTS FOR THE SUBSCRIPTION DUE ON THE First DAY OF
JANUARY 1855, will be ready at the Orrice in Edinburgh previous
to the close of this year, so as to be transmitted im course of post to
Subscribers, or their Correspondents or Agents, sending the remit-
tances, which, for the sake of greater security, are requested to be
uniformly made, not in Cash or Bank Notes, but by Post-Office
Orders, Bank Bills, or Cheques, payable to the Secretary.

*,* Tt will be esteemed as a personal favour, and will likewise
greatly tend to alleviate the present pressure, if Subscribers will
kindly forward their Subscriptions as eaxly as convenient.

ROBERT PITCAIRN,
Acting and Editorial Secretary.

Carvin Socrety’s OFFicr,
9, NORTHUMBERLAND STREET, EDINBURGH,
December 30, 1854,

Ist January 1855.

PUBLICATION OF CALVIN’S WORKS.
NEW ENGLISH TRANSLATIONS.

PILL LLL IIIs

Tuk SERIES, SO FAR AS PUBLISHED, MAY BE HAD immediately, aND THE REST WHEN
READY, On Yemittance by Order for £13, payable to the Secretary ;—or run
IssUES WILL BE DELIVERED AS SHALL BE MOST CONVENIENT TO INTENDING SUBSCRIBERS until

the completion of the Works—in December 1855.

Calvin Translation Society,

INSTITUTED MAY, 1848,
Patras.

THE DUKE OF MANCHESTER.
THE MARQUESS OF BREADALBANKE.
THE MARQUESS OF CHOLMONDELEY. THE EARL OF SHAFTESBURY.
LORD VISCOUNT HILL. THE LORD BISHOP OF CASHEL AND

TIE DUKE OF ARGYLL. §
‘
¢
THE LORD BISHOP OF CALCUTTA. WATERFORD, &e.

THE DUCHESS OF GORDON.

THE BISHOP OF GEORGIA, U.5. THE BISHOP OF ILLINOIS, U.S.
LORD LINDSAY. LORD RAYLEIGH.

Robert Pitcairn, F.S.A.Scot. Secretary. Office, 9, Northumberland Street, Edinburgh.

“© Tue VENERABLE CALyIN.—I hold the memory of Carvin in high veneration; his Works have a place in my library; and
in the study of the Holy Scriptures he is one of the Commentators I most frequently consult.”—Bisnop Horstey,

“ GaLyvin’s COMMENTARIES remain, after three centuries, unparalleled for force of mind, justness of expression, and practical
views of Chiristianity.”—Bisnop or Catcurra, (Wilsov.)

“ Tux Genevese Reformer (CAuvin) surpassed Kwox in the extent of his theological learning, and in the unrivalled solidity
and clearness of his judgment.”—M‘Crix, Life of Knox.

“« A Minister without this, is without one of the best Cominentarics on THe ScriprurReEs, and a valuable body of Divinity.”"—
Bickersrern, Christian Student.

Four Large Octavo Volumes Yearly to Subscribers, for One Pound.

AmonGsr the Theological Works which were widely circulated in England and Scotland during the latter
part of the Sixteenth Century, Translations of many of the Writings of JoHNn CaLvin had a distinguished
place. Of his eminence as a Divine and COMMENTATOR ON THE HOLY SCRIPTURES, it is unnecessary here
to spcak, though few are now fully aware of the very high respect in which his Works were held by all the
leading English Reformers and Ecclesiastical Writers from Cranmer to Hooker, and the extensive benefits
resulting to the Church of Christ from his literary labours. At that time, doctrines which he never held were
not attributed to him; nor were sentiments imputed to him which he never advocated. Bishop Horsley well
advised, to ascertain what is Calvinism and what is not.

It has now been xyesolved not to reprint any of (he old Translations, but to have accurate and faithful new
TRANSLATIONS prepared for the present undertaking. There can be no doubt that this important SeRigs ov
THE THEOLOGY OF THE ProTesTANT REFORMATION Will be acceptable and useful at the present period—to all
who value true Scriptural Doctrines—who thoroughly approve the principles of the Protestant Faith—and who
duly appreciate these valuable Writings; but especially are they needful to all who are engaged in the study
of Divinity and in the exposition of THE SACRED SCRIPTURES.

It is proposed to print New. TrRansLations of all CAbLvin’s Practica, COMMENTS ON SCRIPTURE,
-INSTITUTES and THEOLOGICAL TREATISES, so as to present A COMPLETE COLLECTION OF HIS CHOICEST
Works. Four volumes (each containing on an average 500 pages) will be delivered to every Subscriber, for
each Annual Subscription of One Pound, paid in advance on 1st January yearly. Copious Tables and Indices
are appended to each of the Commentaries, &c., to facilitate reference, and to render the whole Series more
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impression is limited to 2500 copies.

¥or the above mentioned Annual Subscription of One Pound, it is arranged that in one year the most
important of the Translations will be completed, and the present Series closed in December L8 558. Hach
work will be independent of the rest; but the whole will be uniform in size and type, as far as the extent
of each‘of the respective Works will permit.

«S IWManagers of Public, Parochial, Congregational, Vestry or Lending Libraries,
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Parish Libraries, Ministers, Students of Divinity, or Private friends, would also find
that these Works could not fail to be a very useful and acceptable gift.

RRA ~ PP PALI IIA

*,* Any portion of the above Works, odd Volumes, or separate Commentaries,
may be selected by Non-Subscribers at 7s. Gd. pcr Volume. ‘The Institutes
(or odd Volumes of that Work to complete sets) supplied at 10s. per Volume.

Books delivered free in London, Dublin, and Edinburgh.

q
ISSUES OF THE WORKS OF THE CALVIN TRANSLATION SOCIETY.

és TO BE COMPLETED IN DECEMBER 1855.

nO

BOOKS ISSUED FOR THE FIRST YEAR, (1843.)

ROMANS, (Old English Version.) — TRACTS, Vol. I. (compleled,) ++++++eereerer reese ences First Issue.

ACTS OF THE APOSTLES, (Old English Version.) Vols. 1. & IL. (complcted,) -+++++++++ Second Issue,

SECOND YEAR, (1844.)
INSTITUTES, Vol. I1.—HARMONY OF THE EVANGELISTS, Vol. I.,..-----++-+-+++-hird Issue.
LNSTELUGES: Vol, 11! — PSAUNS 9 Volittetee: sete cen 2 Minas. eeeeteee tise sec etn daee Fourth Issue.

THIRD YEAR, (1845.)
HARMONY OF THE EVANGELISTS, Vols. Il. & IID.,.+-+--e-eeeeeneseee es ceeceeee os Fifth Issue.
INSTITUTES, Vol. III. (completed.) ~ PSALMS, Vol. II., -e+e+ee-eeceeeeceeeerseceer ss Giath Issuc.

FOURTH VEAR, (1846.)
TWELVE MINOR PROPHETS, Vols. I. & IL.,.0--sececeee cece esnc cece cecceessercsees Seventh Issue.
JOHN'S GOSPEL, Vol. I.— PSALMS, Vol. IIL.,----+--+2-sseeeeecencererercenccrerecees Lighth Issue.

FIFTH YEAR, (1847.)
TWELVE MINOR PROPHETS, Vol. III. —GENESIS, Vol. 1., ---.-0eceee ee eer ere vee Ninth Issue.
PSALMS, Vol. 1V.—JOHN’S GOSPEL, Vol. I]. (completed,). «+++ +++20+seeecseeeee veeee-Tenth Issue.

SIXTH YEAR, (1848.)
TWELVE MINOR PROPHETS, Vol. 1V.—CORINTHIANS, Vol. I.,--+++-+-++-++-+++-+ Eleventh Issue.
PSALMS, Vol. V., (compleled.) — EZEKIEL, Vol. L.,++- 1+ -e cece cece ener tere eee e renee Twelfth Issue.

SEVENTH YEAR, (1849.)
TWELVE MINOR PROPHETS, Vol. V., (comp.) -CORINTHIANS, Vol. I1., (comp.)--Thirteenth Issuc.
ROMANS, (New Translation—completed.) —TRACTS, Vol. I1.,- + es eeeesere cere cece cece Fourteenth Issue.

EIGHTH YEAR, (1850.)

ISAIAH, Vol. I. — EZEKIEL, Vol. II., (completed,) «+++++++0+++- te eee eee eee er owen Fifteenth Issue.
JEREMIAH, Vol. I.— GENESIS, Vol. I1., (completed,)--+ ++ ++2e cece seerseeeeeceneesesee Sixteenth issue.

NINTH YEAR, (1851.)
TRACTS, Vol. 111. — PHILIPPIANS, COLOSSIANS, THESSALONIANS, (compileted,) Seventeenth Issue.
JEREMIAG, Vol. I. —ISAITAH, Vol. I1., + +000 ee ee ee ee eee ec eee cee ener eee cece ees Highteenth Issue.

TENTH YEAR, (1852.)

HARMONY OF THE PENTATEUCH, Vol. I.— DANIEL, Vol. I., coeceseseereeeeee + -Mineleenth Issue.
ISAIAH, Vol. IE. —JEREMIAH, Vol. IIL, - +--+ +-+eesceereecnrecanacccesncesncner enon sD tnentieth: Tasue.

ELEVENTH YEAR, (1853.)
DANIEL, Vol. II., (completed.) —-HARMONY OF THE PENTATEUCH, Vol. II., --Twenty-First Issue.
ISAIAH, Vol. LV. — HEBREWS, (completed,)+++++e+ cere cece ence cece ee ee ewer eee ceees Tucnty-Sccond Issuc.

TWELFTH YEAR, (1854.)
HARMONY OF THE PENTATEUCH, Vol. I1J.—JEREMIAH, Vol, 1V. ---++-++++++»Zwenty-Third Issue.
GALATIANS and EPHESIANS, (completed..\_JOSHUA, &c. (completcd,)++++++++++++ Twenty-Fourth Issue.

PREPARING FOR THE LAST YEAR, (1855.)

HARMONY OF THE PENTATEUCH, Vol. 1V., (completed) -ssseseeeceeeeeer es )
JEREMIAH, Vol. V., and LAMENTATIONS, (completed,)++++++++++ssereeeeeseeneeees }reenty-r ifth Issue.
TIMOTHY, TITUS, and PHILEMON, (compleled,)-++++++-++eeeeeeecesee serene po Ona ae ihe

PETER, JOHN, JAMES, and JUDE, (completed,) «++++++-+e0eeceereeneeeceanerenens } ecenty-Sivth Issue.

*,* The Works for the year 1855, which are in active preparation,
will (D. V.) be issued in August and December, (1855,) ‘and
CLOSE THE PRESENT SERIES.

OFFICE OF THE CALVIN SOCIETY, 9, NORTHUMBERLAND SI., EDINBURGH.
Ropext Prrcarrn, b.S8.A. Scor., Secretary.

COMMENTARIES

THE EPISTLES OF PAUL

GALATIANS AND EPHESIANS.

THE CALVIN TRANSLATION SOCIETY.

INSTITUTED IN MAY M.DCCC.XLII.

ma <Se

RE IN OP

FOR PUBLICATION OF TRANSLATIONS OF THE WORKS OF JOHN CALVIN.

ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION, ONE POUND, PAYABLE IN ADVANCE ON IST JANUARY.

FOUR VOLUMES: CIRCULATED IN TWO HALF-YEARLY ISSUES.

TO BE COMPLETED IN DECEMBER 1855,

Acting and Editorial Secretary, Robert Piteairn, FH.S.A, Scot,
Calvin Office, 9, Porthumberland Street, Edinburgh,

romment! Cll.) )

a
— ah

COMMENTARIES ,”

ON

THE EPISTLES OF PAUL

TO THE

GALATIANS AND EPHESIANS.

BY JOHN CALVIN.

TRANSLATED FROM THE ORIGINAL LATIN,

BY THE REV. WILLIAM PRINGLE.

EDINBURGH:
PRINTED FOR THE CALVIN TRANSLATION SOCIETY.

M.DCCCLIY.

[Entered at Stationers’ Wall.]

EDINBURGH : PRINTED BY T. CONSTABLE, pe ‘HE
Saas ae &% 3 bee Sa

TRANSLATOR’S PREFACE.

<=

TuE extraordinary ability and skill displayed by Catviy,
in his Commentaries on the Inspired Writings, have been
set forth by almost all the Translators of this Series. Ihave
always thought, and am happy to have the support of his
latest Editor, Dr. Tholuck, that he is more successful in ex-
pounding the Eprsries oF Pavt than in any other portion of
Scripture. This might arise in part from having studied
them with uncommon ardour and perseverance. The times
in which he lived held out strong inducements to examine the
great peculiarities of the Christian Faith. And where were
these so likely to be found as in the writings of an Apostle
whom the Spirit of God employed, more than all the others,
in unfolding to the Church “the unsearchable riches of
Christ ?” (Eph. iii. 8.)

How far that success might be promoted by the resem-
blance of character which an able and eloquent writer’
asserts to have existed between the great Apostle and the
Reformer, I leave undetermined. But the chief cause un-
questionably lay in his singularly clear perception of that
scheme of doctrine which Paul was honoured to declare.
This enabled him to penetrate the design of the Apostle,
and to follow closely the course of his argument. In discus-
sions of the greatest intricacy he seldom loses his way.

1 « The Paul of the Reformation. More than two hundred and fifty
years have elapsed since he went to join the Apostle whom he so much re-

sembled in the kingdom of God.”—Dr. Mason on Catholic Communion,
p. 161.

Vi TRANSLATORS PREFACE. ‘

Some few windings he may mistake, and wander in partial
darkness. But he quickly recovers his view of the inspired
guide, walks with a firm step, and rejoices in the heavenly
light which illuminates his path. “His acuteness,” says
Winer, when speaking of the Commentary on the GALATIANs,
“his acuteness in perceiving, and his clearness in expound-
ing, the mind of the Apostle, are equally wonderful.”

The literature of the two Epistius which form the subject
of the present volume is exceedingly copious, and, in some
instances, forms an interesting link between Dogmatical and
Exegetical Theoléey. Luruer’s well-known work on the
GALATIANS is of this class. Thrown into the form of a Com-
mentary, and honestly aiming at a faithful exposition of the
Epistle, it nevertheless digresses frequently into doctrinal
essays or treatises, exceedingly valuable in themselves, but
not fitted to throw much light on that portion of the inspired
writings which it is his professed object to investigate. Yet
who would wish that these digressions had been spared ?
What reader does not feel them to be the most fascinating
passages of a work which, as Milton said of his immortal
poem, “the world will not willingly let die?” Defects of
exposition may sometimes disappoint the biblical critic, but
are compensated by dwelling earnestly on the fundamental
doctrine of justification by faith, pronounced by him to be
articulum stantis vel cadentis ecclesiw,.the main point by
which a Church must stand or fall. Nothing can exceed
the delightful freshness of his illustrations on topics gener-
ally regarded as commonplace, or the easy, natural, and
varied statements which his sanctified genius pours forth out
of the fulness of a deeply Christian heart. Perhaps the
noblest eulogium ever bestowed on it was by the author of
the Pilgrim’s Progress. “I do prefer this book of Martin
Luther upon the Galatians, (excepting the Holy Bible,)
before all the books that I have ever seen, as most fit for a
wounded conscience.”

Besides that intermediate class to which Luther belongs,
there is a large number of paraphrasts, scholiasts, and com-

TRANSLATOR ’S PREFACE. - vi

mentators on these Epistles, for an enumeration of which it is
sufficient to refer to two works that have lately appeared in
our own country, and that deserve especial mention. “ An
Exposition of the Epistle of Paul to the Galatians,” by the
Rey. Dr. Brown, isa work of deep piety, vast learning, un-
wearied industry, and sound judgment. The author “has
endeavoured to make this exposition at once a readable book
for intelligent Christians, though unacquainted with the
sacred languages, and a satisfactory statement of the facts
and principles on which the exegesis is based, to critical
students of the New Testament.” To combine those quali-
ties which should render the book equally attractive and
useful to both classes of readers was a difficult task, and
with rare success has it been accomplished.

A “Commentary on the Greek text of the Epistle of
Paul to the Epnestans,” by the Rev. Dr. Eadie, is more ex-
clusively addressed to Greek scholars, and enters more
elaborately into philological researches, than any other
Commentary that has been recently published in the Eng-
lish language. It is the fruit of very extensive reading, not
only in the Fathers, the Reformers, and the best known
eritics of modern date, but in the German annotators, whose
speculations he has explored with all that attention to which
their writings could Jay claim, but with a wholesome dread
of those neological opinions which, accompanied by the boast
of high scholarship, had at one time found too much favour
with their countrymen, but are rapidly, we trust, giving way
to juster views of “the truth as it is in Jesus.” To this he
has added the vigorous exercise of independent thought,
withholding all unworthy homage to the greatest names,
and sincerely labouring to discover the mind of the Holy
Spirit. On many questions which he has examined, whether
as regards the course of the Apostle’s argument, or the
meaning of particular phrases, different minds will arrive at
different conclusions ; but the assistance which he has ren-
dered to the examination of one of the inspired Epistles will
be most highly valued by those for whose benefit his labours
were chiefly intended.

Vill TRANSLATOR’S PREFACE.

Various authors, who cannot be named without awaken-
ing gratitude, and to whom it would be impossible to do
justice in this brief sketch, have supplied the materials of
valuable Norxs to this volume. From their pages it would
have been easy to select many a warm tribute to the GENE-
vAN REFoRMER, to whom they were deeply indebted, and
whose writings were consulted by them with acknowledged
deference. The greatest lights of our age have not super-
seded the Jabours of Catvin, and our ablest divines vie with
each other in doing homage to his great sagacity as an inter-
preter-of the Holy Scriptures.

To my younger brethren in the ministry may I take the
liberty of recommending these COMMENTARIES as an excellent
model for expounding the inspired Epistles? The frequent
mention of Popery does not lessen the value of this recom-
mendation. How far it may be necessary, at all times, to
fortify our hearers against the attacks of the “man of sin,”
(2 Thess. 11. 3,) I do not now stay to inquire. But as a
skilful, natural, and impressive application of divine truth
to the controversies of the day, the warnings against Popery
deserve careful study. They are appropriately introduced,
and serve to illustrate more fully the mind of the Spirit.

In describing them as models, it may be proper to men-
tion that they are strictly what their title bears, ComMENTA-
RIES, unaccompanied by those illustrations which, in public
instruction, are indispensably necessary. To devout minds
they will have many attractions. They are imbued with
that ardent piety and that copious use of the language of
Scripture by which all the writings of Catvin are so emi-
nently distinguished.

AUCHTERARDER, 6th September 1854.

TO THE MOST ILLUSTRIOUS PRINCE

CHRISTOPHER,

DUKE OF WIRTEMBERG, EARL OF MONTBELIARD, &c. &c.

Tuoucu personally unknown to you, most illustrious
Prince, I venture unhesitatingly’ to dedicate to you one of
my productions. It may be thought that so bold a step will
be censured by some persons as rash, and therefore demands
an apology. Nothing is more easy. A few words shall
suffice. My motives to address you are chiefly two. )

You have hitherto, indeed, pursued the right course with
great spirit and energy. Yet I thought that it might not
be altogether unnecessary to excite you, by a direct appeal,
to the perusal of a work not a little fitted to strengthen
your resolutions. One advantage you possess, in the kind
providence of God, above most princes of the present day.
Having enjoyed an early and liberal education in the Latin
language, you are enabled to employ your leisure in reading
profitable and religious books. If ever there was a time
when the consolations derived from religious instruction
were necessary, what other resource is left to the most
heroic minds by the present distress of the Church, and by
greater and heavier distresses which appear to be approach-
ing? Whoever, therefore, wishes to remain unmoved to the
last, let him rely entirely on this support; whoever desires
to have a sure protection, let him learn to betake himself to
this refuge. Besides, in these four Epistizs,” of which I now

1 « Sans en faire difficulte.” Without any scruple.”
? The volume to which this Dedication was prefixed, contained the

Commentaries on the Hpistles to the Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians,
and Colossians.— £d.

x CALVIN S DEDICATION.

present to you my Expositions, you will find, noble Prince,
many subjects of consolation exceedingly adapted to the
present times ; but to which I do not now more particularly
refer, because they will occur to yourself with much better
effect in their own places.

I come now to my second reason for dedicating to you
this work. During the present confusion of affairs, while
some are shaken, and others are entirely thrown down, you
have preserved an astonishing composure and moderation,
accompanied by a remarkable steadfastness, amidst all the
storms which have arisen. I consider, therefore, that it is
highly advantageous to the whole Church, to hold out in
you, asin a bright mirror, an example which all may imitate.
For, while the Son of God enjoins on all his followers, with-
out exception, that they shall choose rather to fight under
the banner of his cross than to triumph with the world, yet
very few are found who are ready to engage in that kind of
warfare. It is the more necessary that all should be stimu-
lated and taught, by such uncommon examples as yours, to
correct their effeminacy.

Of my CommentartEs I shall only say, that they perhaps
contain more than it would become me to acknowledge. On
this point, however, I wish you to read and judge for your-
self. Farewell, most illustrious Prince. May the Lord Jesus
long preserve you for himself and his Church, and guide
you by His Sprrir!

Geneva, 1st Mebruary 1548.

i ee a a i i

-

~ COMMEN

-

PISILE OF PAUL TO THE GALATIANS.

THE ARGUMENT

OF

THE EPISTLE OF PAUL TO THE GALATIANS.

Wuat part of Asia was inhabited by the GaLatrans, and
what were the boundaries of their country, is well known ;
but whence they originally came’ is not agreed among his-
torians. It is universally admitted that they were Gauls,
and, on that account, were denominated Gallo-Grecians.
But from what part of Gaul they came it is more difficult
to determine.

Strabo thought that the Tectosages came from Gallia
Narbonensis, and that the remainder were Celtz ;? and this
opinion has been generally adopted. But, as Pliny enu-
merates the Ambiani® among the Tectosagi, and as it is
universally agreed that they were allied to the Tolistobogi,
who dwelt on the banks of the Rhine, I think it more pro-
bable that they were Belgians, whose territory extended
from a very distant part of the course of the Rhine to the
English Channel. The Tolistobogi inhabited that part
which receives from its present inhabitants the names of
Cleves and Brabant.

The mistake originated, I think, in this way. A band of

* “Mais quant a leur origine, et le lieu dont ils sont premierement

partis, les anciens autheurs ne se trouvent d’accord.” “But as to their
lineage, and the place from which they originally came, ancient authors
are not agreed.”

* “ Strabo geographe pense que ceux d’entre eux qui avoyent le nom de
Tectosagois estoyent venus du pays de Provence, et les autres de la Gaule
Celtique.” “Strabo, the geographer, thinks that those of them who bore
the name of Tectosages had come from Provence, and the remainder from
Celtic Gaul.”

* «Ceux d’Amiens.” Those of Amiens.”

14 THE ARGUMENT.

Tectosagi, who had made an irruption into Gallia Nar-
bonensis, retained their own name, and gave it to the
country which they had conquered. This is intimated by
Ausonius,! who says, “As far as the Teutosagi, whose
original name was Belgians; for he calls them Belgians,
and says that they were first called Teutosagi, and after-
wards Tectosagi. Czesar,® indeed, places the Tectosagi in
the Hercynian* forest ; but I consider this to have been in
consequence of their emigration, which indeed appears from
that very passage.

But more than enough has now been said as to the origin
of the nation, so far as relates to the present passage. Pliny
informs u@ that the GaLatians, who inhabited that part of
Asia to which they gave their name, were divided into three
chief nations, Tectosagi, Tolistobogi, and Troemi, and accord-
ingly occupied three chief cities. So great was the power
which they at one time swayed over their unwarlike neigh-
bours, that they received tribute from a great part of Lesser
Asia. Losing at length their ancient valour, and giving
themselves up to pleasure and luxury, they were vanquished
in war and subdued, with little difficulty, by Cneius Manlius,
a Roman consul.

At the time of the Apostle Paul they were under the
dominion of the Romans. He had purely and faithfully
instructed them in the Gospel; but false apostles had en-
tered, during his absence, and had corrupted the true seed
by false and erroneous doctrines. They taught that the
observation of ceremonies was still necessary. This might
appear to bea trivial matter; but Paul very properly con-
tends as for a fundamental article of the Christian faith. It

1 « Ausone poete Bordelois, qui a escrit en Latin.” “ Ausonius, the poet,
a native of Bourdeaux, who wrote in Latin.”

? « Usque in Teutosagos primzevo nomine Belgas.”

* Bell. Gall. 1. vi. c. xxiv.

* A forest in Germany, which Cesar describes to be nine days’ journey
in breadth, and, at least, sixty days’ journey in length. How much more
he was unable to say, as he had never found any person who had travelled
farther, or could tell where the forest terminated. He regrets the neces-
sity of employing these vague terms, having placed little reliance on the
skill or accuracy of his informers. It is mentioned, he adds, by Eratos-
thenes and other Greek writers, under the name of Orcynia,—Ed.

THE ARGUMENT. 15

is no small evil to quench the light of the Gospel, to lay a
snare for consciences, and to remove the distinction between
the Old and New Testaments. He perceived that these
errors were also connected with a wicked and dangerous
opinion as to the manner in which justification is obtained.
This is the reason why he fights with so much earnestness
and vehemence; and, having learned from him the im-
portant and serious nature of the controversy, it 1s our duty
to read with greater attention.

One who forms his views of the subject from the Com-
mentaries of Origen and Jerome, will be astonished that
Paul should take so deep an interest in external rites ;
but whoever goes to the fountain will acknowledge that
there was abundant reason for all this sharpness of reproof.
The Gatatrans had allowed themselves to be drawn aside
from the right course by excessive credulity, or rather by
lightness and folly. He therefore censures them more
severely ; for I do not agree with those who attribute the
harshness of his language to their slowness of appre-
hension. The Epuestans and Cotosstans had been sub-
jected to the same temptations. If they had lent as ready
an ear to the tale of the impostors, do we imagine that
Paul would have treated them with greater gentleness ?
This boldness of rebuke was not suggested by the dis-
position of the people, but extorted by ‘the baseness of their
conduct.

Having ascertained what was the design of writing the
EpistLE, let us attend to the order in which it is treated.
In the first and second Chapters he maintains the authority
of his _Apostleship, except that, tow ards the close of the
second chapter, he touches incidentally on his main point,
the question of Man’s Justification, which, however, is
avowedly and directly argued in the third Ghupter Al-
though he appears in ihiose two Chapters to have many
objects in view, yet his sole object is to prove that_he is
equal to the highest apostles, and that there is no reason
why he should not be considered to hold an equally honour-
able rank with any of them.

But it is of importance to know why he labours so hard

tee

a

16 THE ARGUMENT.

in establishing his own claim to respect. Provided that
Christ reigns, and that the purity of doctrine remains un-
contaminated, what matters it whether he is higher or lower
than Peter, or whether they are all on a footing of equality ?
If all must “decrease,” that Christ alone may “ increase,”
(John iii. 80,) it is idle to dispute about human ranks.
Besides, it may be asked, why does he draw a comparison
between himself and other apostles? What dispute had he
with Peter, and James, and John? What good purpose did
it serve to bring into collision those who were united in
sentiment, and in the closest friendship ?

I reply, the false apostles, who had deceived the GaLaTIAns,
endeavoured to obtain favour by pretending that they had
received a commission from the Apostles. Their chief in-
fluence arose from insinuating the belief that they repre-
sented the Apostles, and delivered their message. 'T’o Pavt,
on the other hand, they refused the name and authority of
an Apostle. They objected that he had not been chosen by
our Lord as one of the Twelve ; that he had never been ac-
knowledged as such by the college of the Apostles ; that he
did not receive his doctrine from Christ, or even from the
Apostles themselves. All this tended not only to lower
Paul’s authority, but to rank him with the ordinary mem-

bers of the Church, and therefore to place him far below

those persons who made these insinuations.

If this had been merely a personal matter, it would have
given no uneasiness to Paux to be reckoned an ordinary
disciple. But when he saw that his doctrine was beginning
to lose its weight and authority, he was not entitled to be
silent. It became his duty to make a bold resistance. When
Satan does not venture openly to attack doctrine, his next
stratagem is to diminish its influence by indirect attacks.
Let us remember, then, that in the person of Paul the truth
of the Gospel was assailed; for, if he had allowed himself
to be stripped of the honour of apostleship, it followed that
he had hitherto claimed what he had no title to enjoy; and
this false boasting would have made him liable to suspicion
in other matters. The estimation in which his doctrine was
held depended on the question, whether it came, as some

ne

THE ARGUMENT. 17

had begun to think, from an ordinary disciple, or from an
apostle of Christ.

He was overwhelmed, on the other hand, by the lustre of
great names. Those who referred, in a boastful manner, to
Peter, and Jamzs, and Joun, pretended to apostolical autho-
rity. If Paut had not manfully resisted this boasting, he
would have given way to falsehood, and would have allowed
the truth of God’ to suffer again in his own person. He there-
fore contends earnestly for both points: that he was appointed
by the Lord to be an apostle, and that he was in no respect
inferior to the rest, but enjoyed the same title, and was
equal to them in authority and rank. He might, indeed,
have denied that those men were either sent, or held any
commission from Peter and his associates. But he takes
far higher ground, that he does not yield to the Apostles
themselves ; and if he had declined doing so, he would have
been supposed to have distrusted his cause.

JERUSALEM was, at that time,.the Mother of all the
Churches ; for the Gospel had spread from it over the whole
world, and it might be said to be the principal seat of the
kingdom of Christ. Any one who came from it into other
churches was received with due respect. But many were
foolishly elated with the thought that they had enjoyed the
friendship of the Apostles, or at least had been taught in
their school; and therefore nothing pleased them but what
they had seen at Jerusalem. Every custom that had not
been practised there was not only disliked, but unsparingly
condemned by them. This peevish manner becomes highly
pernicious, when the custom of a single church is attempted
to be enforced as a universal law. We are sometimes so
devoted to an instructor or a place, that, without exercising
any judgment of our own, we make the opinion of one man
the standard for all men, and the customs of one place the
standard for every other place. Such attachment is ridicu-
lous, if there be not always in it a mixture of ambition ; or
rather we should say, excessive peevishness “is alivays
ambitious.

To return to those false apostles, if they had only

1 “Ta verité de Dieu.”
B

18 THE ARGUMENT.

attempted, through wicked contention, to establish every-
where the use of those ceremonies, which they had seen
observed at Jerusalem, that would have been no slight
offence ; for, when a custom 1s forthwith converted into a law,
injustice is perpetrated. But a more serious evil was involved
in the wicked and dangerous doctrine, which held consciences
to be bound to them by religious considerations, which made
justification to depend on the observation of them. Such
were the reasons why Paut defended his Apostleship with
so much earnestness, and why he contrasted himself with
the rest of the Apostles.

He pursues this subject to the end of the second Chapter,
when he proceeds to argue the doctrine, that we are justified
in the sight of God by. Free Grace, and not. by the Works of
the Law. His argument isthis: If Ceremonies have not the

_power of bestowing Justification, the observation of them is
‘therefore unnecessary. We must remark, however, that he
does not confine himself entirely to Ceremonies, but argues
generally about Works, otherwise the whole discussion would
be trifling.

If any person thinks that we are thus straining the matter
too far, let him attend to the two following reasons. First, the
question could not be settled without assuming the general
principle, that we are justified by the free grace of God;
and this principle sets-aside. not. only ceremonies, but every
other kind of works. Secondly, Paul did not attach so much
importance to Ceremonies as to the wicked doctrine of
obtaining Salvation by Works. Let it be observed, therefore,
that Paul had good reasons for recurring to first principles.
It was necessary to go to the fountain, and to warn his
readers that the controversy related, not to some insignifi-

_cant trifle, but to the most important of all matters—the
-method of obtaining salvation.

It is a mistake, therefore, to suppose that the Apostle
confined himself wholly to the special question about Cere-
monies, a subject which did not admit of being settled by
itself. A similar instance occurs in history. (Acts xv. 2.)
Strife and contention had arisen out of the question, whether
or not Ceremonies were necessary to be observed. In the

#

ee eee SS a oe ee

THE ARGUMENT. 19

course of the discussion, the Apostles dwell largely on the
intolerable yoke of the Law, and on the Forgiveness of Sins
through Free Grace. What was the object of this? It
appears to be a foolish departure from the point in hand;
but the contrary is the fact, for a particular error cannot be
satisfactorily refuted without assuming a universal prin-
ciple. As, for instance, if I am called to dispute about for-
bidding the use of flesh, I shall not speak merely about the
different kinds of food, but shall arm myself with the general
doctrine: What authority have the Traditions of men for
binding the conscience? I shall quote the declaration, that
“There is one Lawgiver, who has power to save and to
destroy.” (Jamesiv. 12.) In short, Paul here argues nega-
tively from general to particular propositions, which is the
ordinary and most natural method of reasoning. By what
evidences and arguments he proves this principle, that we
are justified by the grace of God alone, we shall see when
we come to the passage. He pursues this topic till the end
of the third Chapter.

In the commencement of the fourth Chapter he inquires
into the proper use of Ceremonies, and the reason why they
were appointed; shewing, at the same_time, that they are
now abolished. It became necessary to meet this silly
objection, which might occur to some minds: What, then,
was the purpose of Geranioniee 6 Were they useless? Were
the Fathers idly employed in observing them? He illus-
trates briefly two statements, that in their own time they
were not superfluous, and that they have now been abolished
by the coming of Christ, because He is the truth and end
of them ; and therefore he shews that we must abide by
Him. Glancing briefly at the difference between our con-
dition and that of the Fathers, he infers that the doctrine
of the false apostles is wicked and dangerous, because it
darkens the clearness of the gospel by ancient shadows.
The Apostle’s doctrine is now intermingled with some affect-
ing exhortations. Towards the close of the Chapter his
argument is enlivened by a beautiful allegory.

In the fifth Chapter he exhorts them to hold fast the
Liberty which has been obtained by the blood of Christ, that

20 THE ARGUMENT.

they may not surrender their consciences to be ensnared by
the opinions of men. But he reminds them, at the same
time, in what manner Liberty may be lawfully used! He
then takes occasion to point out the proper employments of
Christians, that they may not uselessly spend their time in
Ceremonies, and neglect matters of real importance.

1 «Kn quoy consiste ceste liberte, et quel en est le vray et droit

usage.” “In what that liberty consists, and what is the true and lawful
use of it.”

a a

COMMENTARIES

ON THE

EPISTLE OF PAUL TO THE GALATIANS.

CHAPTER I.

1. Paul, an apostle, (not of men,
neither by man, but by Jesus Christ,
and God the Father, who raised him
from the dead,)

2. And all the brethren which are
with me, unto the churches of Ga-
latia:

3. Grace be to you, and peace, from
God the Father, and from our Lord
Jesus Christ,

4. Who gave himself for our sins,
that he might deliver us from this
present evil world, according to the
will of God and our Father:

5. To whom be glory for ever and
ever. Amen.

1. Paul, an apostle.

1. Paulus apostolus, non ab ho-
minibus, neque per hominem, sed
per Iesum Christum, et Deum Pa-
trem, qui suscitavit illum ex mortuis,

2. Et qui mecum sunt fratres
omnes, ecclesiis Galatiz :

3. Gratia vobis et pax a Deo
Patre, et Domino nostro Iesu Christo,

4. Qui dedit se ipsum pro pec-
catis nostris, ut nos erlperet a pre-
senti seculo maligno, secundum vo-
luntatem Dei et Patris nostri,

5. Cui gloria in szecula szeculo-
rum. Amen.

In the salutations with which he

commenced his Epistles, Paul was accustomed to claim the
title of “an Apostle.” His object in doing so, as we have
remarked on former occasions, was to employ the authority
of his station, for the purpose of enforcing his doctrine. This
authority depends not on the judgment or opinion of men,
but exclusively on the calling of God; and therefore he de-
mands a hearing on the ground of his being “an Apostle.”
Let us always bear this in mind, that in the church we ought
to listen to God alone, and to Jesus Christ, whom he has
appointed to be our teacher. Whoever assumes a right
to instruct us, must speak in the name of God or of Christ.

But as the calling of Paul was more vehemently disputed
among the Galatians, he asserts it more strongly in his ad-

22 COMMENTARIES ON THE cHAP. 1.1;

dress to that church, than in his other Epistles ; for he does
not simply affirm that he was called by God, but states ex-
pressly that it was not either from men or by men. This
statement, be it observed, applies not to the office which he
held in common with other pastors, but to the apostleship.
The authors of the calumnies which he has in his eye did
not venture to deprive him altogether of the honour of the
Christian ministry. They merely refused to allow him the
name and rank of an apostle.

We are now speaking of the apostleship in the strictest
sense; for the word is employed in two different ways.
Sometimes, 1t denotes preachers of the Gospel, to whatever
class they might belong; but here it bears a distinct refer-
ence to the highest rank in the church; so that Paul is equal
to Peter and to the other twelve.

The first clause, that he was called not from men, he had
in common with all the true ministers of Christ. As no
man ought to “take this honour unto himself,” (Heb. v. 4,)
so 1t is not in the power of men to bestow it on whomsoever
they choose. It belongs to God alone to govern his church;
and therefore the calling cannot be lawful, unless it proceed
from Him. So far as the church is concerned, a man who
has been led to the ministry, not by a good conscience, but
by ungodly motives, may happen to be regularly called. But
Paul is here speaking of a call ascertained in so perfect a
manner, that nothing farther can be desired.

It will, perhaps, be objected—Do not the false apostles
frequently indulge in the same kind of boasting? I admit
they do, and in a more haughty and disdainful style than
the servants of the Lord venture to employ; but they want
that actual call from Heaven to which Paul was entitled to
lay claim.

The second clause, that he was called not by man, belonged
in a peculiar manner to the apostles; for in an ordinary
pastor, this would have implied nothing wrong. Paul him-
self, when travelling through various cities in company with
Barnabas, “ordained elders in every church,” by the votes
of the people, (Acts xiv. 23;) and he enjoins Titus and
Timothy to proceed in the same work. (i Tim. v.17; Titus

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CHAP. I. 1. EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. 23

i. 5.) Such is the ordinary method of electing pastors ; for
we are not entitled to wait until God shall reveal from hea-
ven the names of the persons whom he has chosen.

But if human agency was not improper, if it was even
commendable, why does Paul disclaim it in reference to
himself? I have already mentioned that something more
was necessary to be proved than that Paul was a pastor, or
that he belonged to the number of the ministers of the
Gospel; for the point in dispute was the apostleship. It
was necessary that the apostles should be elected, not in
the same manner as other pastors, but by the direct agency
of the Lord himself. Thus, Christ himself (Matt. x. 1) called
the Twelve ; and when a successor was to be appointed in
the room of Judas, the church does not venture to choose
one by votes, but has recourse to lot. (Acts i. 26.) We are
certain that the lot was not employed in electing pastors.
Why was it resorted to in the election of Matthias? To
mark the express agency of God; for it was proper that
the apostles should be distinguished from other ministers.
And thus Paul, in order to shew that he does not belong to
the ordinary rank of ministers, contends that his calling
proceeded immediately from God.’

But how does Paul affirm that he was not called by men,
while Luke records that Paul and Barnabas were called by
the church at Antioch? Some have replied, that he had
previously discharged the duties of an apostle, and that,
consequently, his apostleship was not founded on his appoint-
ment by that church. But here, again, it may be objected,
that this was his first designation to be the apostle of the
- Gentiles, to which class the Galatians belonged. The more
correct and obvious reply is, that he did not intend here to
set aside entirely the calling of that church, but merely to
shew that his apostleship rests on a higher title. This is
true; for even those who laid their hands on Paul at An-
tioch did so, not of their own accord, but in obedience to
express revelation. ‘‘ As they ministered to the Lord, and
fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul

1 « C’est a dire, sans aucun moyen des hommes.” ‘ That is, without
any agency of men.”

QA COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. I. I.

for the work whereunto I have called them. And when
they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them,
they sent them away.” (Acts xiii. 2, 3.) Since, therefore,
he was called by Divine revelation, and was also appointed
and declared by the Holy Spirit to be the apostle of the
Gentiles, it follows, that he was not brought forward by men,
although the customary rite of ordination was afterwards
added.!

It will, perhaps, be thought that an indirect contrast be-
tween Paul and the false apostles is here intended. I have
no objection to that view; for they were in the habit of
glorying in the name of men. His meaning will therefore
stand thus: ‘“‘ Whoever may be the persons by whom others
boast that they have been sent, I shall be superior to them;
for I hold my commission from God and Christ.”

By Jesus Christ and God the Father. He asserts that God
the Father and Christ had bestowed on him his apostleship.
Christ is first named, because it is his prerogative to send,
and because we are his ambassadors. But to make the state-
ment more complete, the Father is also mentioned ; as if he
had said, ‘ If there be any one whom the name of Christ is
not sufficient to inspire with reverence, let him know that I
have also received my office from God the Father.”

Who raised him from the dead. The resurrection of Christ
is the commencement of his reign, and is therefore closely
connected with the present subject. It was a reproach
brought by them against Paul that he had held no communi-
cation with Christ, while he was on the earth. He argues, on
the other hand, that, as Christ was glorified by his resurrec-
tion, so he has actually exercised his authority in the govern-
ment of his church. The calling of Paul is therefore more
illustrious than it would have been, if Christ, while still a
mortal, had ordained him to the office. And this circum-
stance deserves attention ; for Paul intimates that the at-
tempt to set aside his authority, involved a malignant
opposition to the astonishing power of God, which was

1 « Quoy que depuis on ait observé la ceremonie accoustumee en V’or-
dination des ministeres.” Although the ceremony usually performed at
the ordination of ministers was afterwards added.”

ee

CHAP. I. 2. EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. a

displayed in the resurrection of Christ ; because the same
heavenly Father, who raised Christ from the dead, com-
manded Paul to make known that exertion of his power.

2. And all the brethren who are with me.—He appears
to have usually written in the name of many persons, judg-
ing that, if those to whom he wrote should attach less weight
to a solitary individual, they might listen to a greater num-
ber, and would not despise a whole congregation. His
general practice is, to insert the salutations from brethren at
the conclusion, instead of introducing them at the commence-
ment as joint authors of the epistle: at least, he never
mentions more than two names, and those very well known.
But here he includes all the brethren; and thus adopts,
though not without good reason, an opposite method. The
concurrence of so many godly persons must have had some
degree of influence in softening the minds of the Galatians,
and preparing them to receive instruction.

To the churches of Galatia. It was an extensive country,
and therefore contained many churches scattered through it.
But is it not wonderful that the term “ Church,’ which
always implies unity of faith, should have been applied to
the Galatians, who had almost entirely revolted from Christ ?
I reply, so long as they professed Christianity, worshipped
one God, observed the sacraments, and enjoyed some kind
of Gospel ministry, they retained the external marks of a
church. We do not always find in churches such a measure
of purity as might be desired. The purest have their ble-
mishes ; and some are marked, not by a few spots, but by
general deformity. Though the doctrines and practices of
any society may not, in all respects, meet our wishes, we
must not instantly pronounce its defects to be a sufficient
reason for withholding from it the appellation of a Church.
Paul manifests here a gentleness of disposition utterly at
variance with such a course. Yet our acknowledgment of
societies to be churches of Christ must be accompanied by an
explicit condemnation of everything in them that is impro-
per or defective ; for we must not imagine, that, wherever
there is some kind of church, everything in it that ought to
be desired in a church is perfect.

26 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. I. 4,

I make this observation, because the Papists, seizing on
the single word Church, think that whatever they choose to
force upon us is sanctioned ; though the condition and aspect
of the Church of Rome are widely different from what ex-
isted in Galatia. If Paul were alive at the present day, he
would perceive the miserable and dreadfully shattered re-
mains of a church; but he would perceive no building. In
short, the word Church is often applied by a figure of speech
in which a part is taken for the whole, to any portion of the
church, even though it may not fully answer to the name.

3. Grace be to you and peace. This form of salutation,
which occurred in the other epistles, has received an expla-
nation, to which IJ still adhere. Paul wishes for the Gala-
tians a state of friendship with God, and, along with it, all
good things; for the favour of God is the source from which
we derive every kind of prosperity. He presents both peti-
tions to Christ, as well as to the Father; because without
Christ neither grace, nor any real prosperity, can be obtained.

4. Who gave himself for our sins. He begins with com-
mending the grace of Christ, in order to recall and fix on
Him the attention of the Galatians ; for, if they had justly
appreciated this benefit of redemption, they would never
have fallen into opposite views of religion. He who knows
Christ in a proper manner beholds him earnestly, embraces
him with the warmest affection, is absorbed in the contem-
plation of him, and desires no other object. The best remedy
for purifying our minds from any kind of errors or supersti-
tions, is to keep in remembrance our relation to Christ, and
the benefits which he has conferred upon us.

These words, who gave himself for owr sins, were intended
to convey to the Galatians a doctrine of vast importance ;
that no other satisfactions can lawfully be brought into
comparison with that sacrifice of himself which Christ offered
to the Father; that in Christ, therefore, and in him alone,
atonement for sin, and perfect righteousness, must be sought;
and that the manner in which we.are redeemed by him ought
to excite our highest admiration. What Paul here ascribes
to Christ is, with equal propriety, ascribed in other parts of
Scripture to God the Father; for, on the one hand, the

a ee ee

tN a wi

CHAP. I. 4 EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. psi)

Father, by an eternal purpose, decreed this atonement, and
gave this proof of his love to us, that he “spared not his
only-begotten Son, (Rom. viii. 32,) but delivered him up for
us all;” and Christ, on the other hand, offered himself a
sacrifice in order to reconcile us to God. Hence it follows,
that his death is the satisfaction for sins.’

That he might deliver us. He likewise declares the design
of our redemption to be, that Christ, by his death, might
purchase us to be his own property. This takes place when
we are separated from the world; for so long as we are of
the world, we do not belong to Christ. The word aisy, (age,)
is here put for the corruption which is in the world; in the
same manner as in the first Epistle of John, (v. 19,) where
it is said that “the whole world lieth in the wicked one,”
and in his Gospel, (John xvii. 15,) where the Saviour says,
“J pray not that thou shouldst take them out of the world,
but that thou shouldst keep them from the evil ;’ for there
it signifies the present life.

What then is meant by the word “ World” in this passage?
Men separated from the kingdom of God and the grace of
Christ. So long as a man lives to himself, he is altogether
condemned. The World is, therefore, contrasted with re-
generation, as nature with grace, or the flesh with the spirit.
Those who are born of the world have nothing but sin and
wickedness, not by creation, but by corruption.” Christ,
therefore, died for our sins, in order to redeem or separate
us from the world.

From the present wicked age. By adding the epithet
“wicked,” he intended to shew that he is speaking of the’
corruption or depravity which proceeds from sin, and not of
God’s creatures, or of the bodily life. And yet by this single
word, as by a thunderbolt, he lays low all human pride; for
he declares, that, apart from that renewal of the nature which
is bestowed by the grace of Christ, there is nothing in us
but unmixed wickedness. We are of the world; and, till
Christ take us out of it, the world reigns in us, and we live

* « Pour nos pechez.” “ For our sins.”
* © Non pas que cela viene de la creation, mais de leur corruption.”
© Not that this comes from creation, but from their corruption.”

28 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. I. 5.

to the world. Whatever delight men may take in their
fancied excellence, they are worthless and depraved; not
indeed in their own opinion, but in the judgment of our
Lord, which is here pronounced by the mouth of Paul, and
which ought to satisfy our minds.

According to the will. He points out the original foun-
tain of grace, namely, the purpose of God ; “for God so loved
the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son.” (John ii.
16.) But it deserves notice, that Paul is accustomed to
represent the decree of God as setting aside all compensation
or merit on the part of men, and so Wall denotes here what
is commonly called “ good pleasure.”* The meaning is, that
Christ suffered for us, not because we were worthy, or because
anything done by us moved him to the act, but because such
was the purpose of God. Of God and our Father is of the
same import as if he had said, “ Of God who is our Father?

5. To whom be glory. By this sudden exclamation of
thanksgiving, he intends to awaken powerfully in his readers
the contemplation of that invaluable gift which they had
received from God, and in this manner to prepare their
minds more fully for receiving instruction. It must at the
same time be viewed as a general exhortation. Every instance
in which the mercy of God occurs to our remembrance, ought
to be embraced by us as an occasion of ascribing glory to God.

6. I marvel that ye are so soon * 6. Miror quod ita cito transferi-
removed from him that called you mini a Christo, qui vos vocavit in
into the grace of Christ unto another gratia, ad aliud evangelium;
gospel :

7. Which is not another; but there 7. Quod non est aliud, nisi quod
be some that trouble you, and would sunt quidam, qui vos turbant, ac
pervert the gospel of Christ. volunt evertere evangelium Christi.

1 Ox sive nar’ tairayhy rod Margds, GAAw xare cdo Dtanua, rovriocs chy
evdoxiay. ‘* Tle did not say, according to the command, but according to
the will, that is, according to the good pleasure, of the Father.”—The-
ophylact.

* « An English reader would readily suppose that ‘God and our Father’
are two different persons. The original text suggests no such idea. The
meaning is, ‘our God and Father.’"— The particle zz} (and) is here her-
meneutic. As Crellius says, it is equivalent to ‘that is’ or ‘ who is;’ or
rather, it does not connect different persons, but different descriptions of
the same person: 1 Cor. ii. 2; Eph. i. 3; iv. 63 1 Thess. i. 3; iii. 11;
1 Pet. 1.2. ‘Hz#» belongs equally to both nouns, @2o% and Margi.’
— Brown.

ae

aS en ee ae ee Nee

——

SE AAT

CHAP. I. 6.

8. But though we, or an angel
from heaven, preach any other gospel
unto you than that which we have
preached unto you, let him be ac-
cursed.

9. As we said before, so say I now
again, If any man preach any other
gospel unto you than that ye have
received, let him be accursed.

EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. 29

8. Verum etiamsi nos, aut An-
gelus e ccelo evangelizet vobis preter
id quod evangelizayimus vobis, ana-
thema sit.

9. Quemadmodum _praediximus,
nune quoque iterum dico; si quis
vobis evangelizaverit preterquam
quod accepistis, anathema sit.

6. I wonder. He commences by administering a rebuke,
though a somewhat milder one than they 2 eae but his
greatest severity of language is directed, as we el see,
against the false apeatles ‘He charges them with turning
aside, not only from his gospel, but from Christ ; for it was
impossible for them to retain their attachment to Christ,
without acknowledging that he has graciously delivered us
from the bondage of the law. But such a belief cannot be
reconciled with those notions respecting the obligation of
ceremonial observance which the false apostles inculcated.
They were removed from Christ; not that they entirely
rejected Christianity, but that the corruption of their doc-
trines was such as to leave them nothing more than an
imaginary Christ.

Thus, in our own times, the Papists, choosing to have a
divided and mangled Christ, have none, and are therefore
“yemoved from Christ.” They are full of superstitions,
which are directly at variance with the nature of Christ.
Let it be carefully observed, that we are removed from Christ,
when we fall into those views which are inconsistent with his
mediatorial office; for light can have no fellowship with
darkness.

On the same principle, he calls it another gospel, that is,
a gospel different from the true one. And yet the false
apostles professed that they preached the gospel of Christ ;
but, mingling with it their own inventions,’ by which its
principal efficacy was destroyed, they held a false, corrupt,
and spurious gospel. By using the present tense, (‘ ye
are removed,”) he appears to say that they were only in
the act of falling. As if he had said, “I do not yet say
that ye have been removed; for then it would be more

* « Leurs songes et inventions.” Their dreams and inventions.”

39 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. I. 7.

difficult to return to the right path. But now, at the
critical moment, do not advance a angie step, but instantly
retreat.”

From Christ, who bate you by grace. Others read it,
“from hinfwho called you by the grace of Christ,” under-
standing it to refer to the Father; but the reading which
we have followed is more simple. When he says that they
were called by Christ through grace, this tends to heighten
the criminality of their ingratitude. To revolt from the Son
of God under any circumstances, is unworthy and dis-
graceful; but to revolt from him, after being invited to
partake salvation by grace, is more eminently base. His
goodness to us renders our ingratitude to him more dread-
fully heinous.

So soon. When it is considered how soon they had dis-
covered a want of steadfastness, their guilt is still further
heightened. A proper season, indeed, for departing from
Christ cannot be imagined. But the fact, that no sooner
had Paul left them than the Galatians were led away from
the truth, inferred still deeper blame. As the consideration
of the grace by which they had been called was adduced to
aggravate their ingratitude, so the circumstance of the time
when they were removed is now adduced to aggravate their
levity.

7. Which is not another thing.” Some explain it thus,
“though there is not another gospel ;” as if it were a
sort of correction of the Apostle’s language, to guard against
the supposition that there were more gospels than one. So
far as the explanation of the words is concerned, I take a
more simple view of them ; for he speaks contemptuously of
the doctrine of the false apostles, as being nothing else than
a mass of confusion and destruction. As if he had said,
“What do those persons allege? On what grounds do they
attack the doctrine which I have delivered? They merely
trouble you, and subvert the gospel. They do nothing more.”

1 6 abn tarw dado. Some have questioned the genuineness of #2A0,—
conjecturing that some one first introduced 2aaz into the margin as an
interpretation of ¢/ ##, and then some other person changed it into #a2o,
per incuriam, and introduced it into the text. This is ingenious, but, like
all conjectural criticism on the New Testament, is of no value.”—Brown.

—s oe,

—— ee ee

td i i ee

CHAP. I. 8. EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. Sl

But it amounts to the same meaning; for this, too, I ac-
knowledge, is a correction of the language he had used about
another gospel. He declares that it is not a gospel, but a
mere disturbance. All I intended to say was, that, in my
opinion, the word another means another thing. It resembles
strongly an expression in common use, “this amounts to
nothing, but that you wish to deceive.”

And wish to pervert. He charges them with the additional
crime of doing an injury to Christ, by endeavouring to sub-
vert his gospel. Subversion is an enormous crime. It is
worse than corruption. And with good reason does he fasten
on them this charge. When the glory of justification is
ascribed to another, and a snare is laid for the consciences
of men, the Saviour no longer occupies his place, and the
doctrine of the gospel is utterly ruined.

The gospel of Christ. To know what are the leading points
of the gospel, is a matter of unceasing importance. When
these are attacked, the gospel is destroyed When he adds
the words, of Christ, this may be explained in two ways;
either that it has come from Christ as its author, or
that it purely exhibits Christ. The apostle’s reason for
employing that expression unquestionably was to describe
the true and genuine gospel, which alone is worthy of the
name.

8. But though we. As he proceeds in defending the
authority of his doctrine, his confidence swells. First of all,
he declares that the doctrine which he had preached is the

_ only gospel, and that the attempt to set it aside is highly

eriminal. But then he was aware, the false apostles might
object: ‘‘ We will not yield to you in our desire to maintain
the gospel, or in those feelings of respect for it which we are
accustomed to cherish.” Just as, at the present day, the
Papists describe in the strongest terms the sacredness with
which they regard the gospel, and kiss the very name with
the deepest reverence, and yet, when brought to the trial,
are found to persecute fiercely the pure and simple doctrine
of the gospel. Accordingly, Paul does not rest satisfied
with this general declaration, but proceeds to define what
the gospel is, and what it contains, and declares boldly that

32 COMMENTARIES ON THE OHAP. I. 8.

his doctrine is the true gospel; so as to resist all further
inquiry. :
Of what avail was it to profess respect for the gospel, and

not to know what it meant? With Papists, who hold them-

selves bound to render implicit farth, that might be perfectly
sufficient; but with Christians, where there is no know-
ledge, there is no faith. That the Galatians, who were
otherwise disposed to obey the gospel, might not wander
hither and thither, and “find no rest for the sole of their
foot,” (Gen. vill. 9,) Paul enjoins them to stand steadfastly
by his doctrine. He demands such unhesitating belief of his
preaching, that he pronounces a curse on all who dared to
contradict it. |

And here it is not a little remarkable, that he begins with
himself ; for thus he anticipates a slander with which his
enemies would have loaded him. ‘ You wish to have every-
thing which comes from you received without hesitation,
because it is your own.” ‘To show that there is no founda-
tion for such a statement, he instantly surrenders the-right
of advancing anything against his own doctrine. He claims
no superiority, in this respect, over other men, but justly
demands from all, equally with himself, subjection to the
word of God.

Or an angel from heaven. In order to destroy more com-
pletely the pretensions of the false apostles, he rises so high
as to speak of angels; and, on the supposition that they
taught a different doctrine, he does not satisfy himself with
saying that they were not entitled to be heard, but declares
that they ought to be held accursed. Some may think, that
it was absurd to engage in a controversy with angels about
his doctrine ; but a just view of the whole matter will en-
able any one to perceive, that this part of the apostle’s
proceedings was proper and necessary. It is impossible, no
doubt, for angels from heaven to teach anything else than
the certain truth of God. But when the credit due to doc-
trines which God had revealed concerning the salvation of
men was the subject of controversy, he did not reckon it
enough to disclaim the judgment of men, without declining,
at the same time, the authority of angels.

¢
a a a

Se ee ee

CHAP. I. 9. EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. 33

And thus, when he pronounces a curse on angels who
should teach any other doctrine,’ though his argument is
derived from an impossibility, it is not superfluous. This
exaggerated language must have contributed greatly to
strengthen the confidence in Paul’s preaching. His oppo-
nents, by employing the lofty titles of men, attempted to
press hard on him and on his doctrine. He meets them by
the bold assertion, that even angels are unable to shake his
authority. This is no disparagement to angels. To pro-
mote the glory of God by every possible means was the
design of their creation. He who endeavours, in a pious
manner, to accomplish this object, by an apparently disre-
spectful mention of their name, detracts nothing from their
high rank. This language not only exhibits, in an impres-
sive manner, the majesty of the word of God, but yields,
also, a powerful confirmation to our faith, while, in reliance
on that word, we feel ourselves at liberty to treat even angels
with defiance and scorn. When he says, “ let him be ac-
cursed,” the meaning must be, “let him be held by you as
accursed.” In expounding 1 Cor. xii. 8, we had occasion
to speak of the word avaOeua.” Here it denotes cursing,
and answers to the Hebrew word, E2°M, (hhérém.)

9. As we said before. Leaving out, in this instance, the
mention of himself and of angels, he repeats the former asser-
tion, that it is unlawful for any man to teach anything
contrary to what they had learned.* Observe the expres-
sion—ye have received ; for he uniformly insists, that they
must not regard the gospel as something unknown, existing

* © Quand il denonce les anges pour excommuniez et pour abominables,
s'ils enseignent autre chose.” “ When he denounces the angels as excom-
municated and detestable persons, if they teach anything else.”

2 © "Ayédeue. This word, which we render accursed, doth not signify
*‘ accursed or condemned of God to the punishments of another world.’
This the Apostle would not wish to the worst of men. The meaning is,
‘ Let him be as a person excommunicated, or wholly cut off from the syna-
gogue, or church, with whom it is unlawful to have any commerce or cor-
respondence whatever.’ And so it is not properly a wish of the apostle,
but a direction to the Galatians how to behave. Let him be dvddena.
‘ Hold him, and treat him as an excommunicated and accursed person.’ ”
—Chandler.

3 “ D’enseigner autre doctrine que celle qu’il avoit enseignee aux Ga-
latiens.” “ To teach any other doctrine than that which he had taught
to the Galatians.”

a

34 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP.E.9.

in the air, or in their own imaginations. He exhorts them
to entertain a firm and serious conviction, that the doctrine

which they had received and embraced is the true gospel of

Christ. Nothing can be more inconsistent with the nature
of faith than a feeble, wavering assent. What, then, must
be the consequence, if ignorance of the nature and character
of the gospel shall lead to hesitation? Accordingly he en-
joins them to regard as devils those who shall dare to bring
forward a gospel different from his,—meaning by another
gospel, one to which the inventions of other men are added ;*
for the doctrine of the false apostles was not entirely con-
trary, or even different, from that of Paul, but corrupted by
false additions. :

To what poor subterfuges do the Papists resort, in order
to escape from the Apostle’s declaration! First, they tell
us, that we have not in our possession the whole of Paul’s
preaching, and cannot know what it contained, unless the
Galatians who heard it shall be raised from the dead, in
order to appear as witnesses. Next, they assert, that it is
not every kind of addition which is forbidden, but that other
gospels only are condemned. What Paul’s doctrine was, so
far as it concerns us to know, may be learned with sufficient
clearness from his writings. Of this gospel, it is plain, the
whole of Popery is a dreadful perversion. And from the
nature of the case, we remark in conclusion, it is manifest
that any spurious doctrine whatever is at variance with
Paul’s preaching; so that these cavils will avail them
nothing.

10. For do I now persuade men,
or God? or do I seek to please men?
for if I yet pleased men, I should
not be the servant of Christ.

11. But I certify you, brethren,
that the gospel which was preached
of me is not after man.

12. For I neither received it of
man, neither was I taught it, but
by the revelation of Jesus Christ.

10. Nune enim suadeone secun-
dum homines, an secundum Deum ?
vel quero hominibus placere? si
enim adhuc hominibus placerem,
Christi servus non essem.

11. Notum autem vobis facio,
fratres, de Evangelio, quod evange-
lizatum est a me, quod non est se-
cundum hominem ;

12. Neque enim ego ab homine
accepi illud, neque didici; sed per
revelationem Iesu Christi.

1 “ Quand on y mesle des inventions humaines, et des choses qui ne
sont point de mesme.” “ When it is mixed up with human inventions,
and with things that are contrary to it.”

4
i
is

“ws

Se SEA,

CHAP.I. 10.

13. For ye have heard of my con-
versation in time past in the Jews’
religion, how that beyond measure
I persecuted the church of God, and
wasted it ;

14. And profited in the Jews’ re-
ligion above many my equals in
mine own nation, being more ex-
ceedingly zealous of the traditions

EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. 35

4

13. Audistis enim conversationem
meam, qu aliquando fuit in Iu-
daismo ; quod supra modum perse-
quebar ecclesiam Dei, et vastabam
illam,

14. Et proficiebam in Iudaismo
supra multos sequales meos in ge-
nere meo, quum vehementius studi-
osus essem paternarum traditionum.

of my fathers.

Having extolled so confidently his own preaching, he now
shows that this was no idle or empty boast. He supports
his assertion by two arguments. The first is, that he was
not prompted by ambition, or flattery, or any similar passion,
to accommodate himself to the views of men. The second
and far stronger argument is, that he was not the author of
the gospel, but delivered faithfully what he had received from
God.

10. For do I now persuade according to men or according
to God? The ambiguity of the Greek construction in this
passage, has given rise to a variety of expositions. Some
render it, Do I now persuade men or God?* Others inter-
pret the words “God” and “men,” as meaning divine and
human concerns. This sense would agree very well with the
context, if it were not too wide a departure from the words.
The view which I have preferred is more natural ; for no-
thing is more common with the Greeks than to leave the
preposition cata, according to, to be understood.

Paul is speaking, not about the subject of his preaching,
but about the purpose of his own mind, which could not re-

1“ Meda. This word, which we render persuade, frequently signifies ‘ to
obtain by treaty,’ or, ‘to endeavour the friendship and good will of any
person.’ Thus in Matt. xxviii. 14, the chief-priests tell the soldiers, whom
they corrupted, to give a false report: ‘If this come to the governor’s
ears, we will persuade him, and secure you, that is, prevail with him to
be favourable to you, and save you from punishment.’ Thus, Acts xii.
20, reicuvres BAdorov, we render, ‘ having made Blastus their friend.’
Vid. Pind. Ol. iii. 28. And in the Apocryphal book of Maccabees, (2 Mac.
iv. 45,) when Menelaus found himself convicted of his crimes, he promised
Ptolemy a large sum of money, z¢icu: rév Baoirta, * to pacify the king,’ to
prevent his displeasure, and secure his favour. And thus, in the place
before us, ‘ to persuade God,’ is to endeavour to secure his approbation ;
which, the Apostle assures the Galatians, was his great and only view, as
well as his great support, under the censure and displeasure of men, for
preaching the pure and uncorrupted doctrines of the gospel.” —Chandler.

36 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. 1. 10.

fer so properly to men as to God. ‘The disposition of the
speaker, it must be owned, may have some influence on his
doctrine. As corruption of doctrine springs from ambition,
avarice, or any other sinful passion, so the truth is maintained
in its purity by an upright conscience. And so he contends

that his doctrine is sound, because it is not modified so as -

to gratify men.

Or, do I seek to please men? This second clause differs
not much, and yet it differs somewhat from the former;
for the desire of obtaining favour is one motive for speaking
“according to men.” When there reigns in our hearts such
ambition, that we desire to regulate our discourse so as to
obtain the favour of men, our instructions cannot be sincere.
Paul therefore declares, that he is in no degree chargeable
with this vice ; and, the more boldly to repel the calumni-
ous insinuation, he employs the interrogative form of speech ;
for interrogations carry the greater weight, when our oppo-
nents are allowed an opportunity of replying, if they have
anything to say. This expresses the great boldness which
Paul derived from the testimony of a good conscience ; for
he knew that he had discharged his duty in such a manner
as not to be hable to any reproach of that kind. (Acts xxiii.
ts Cori. 12.)

If I yet pleased men. This is a remarkable sentiment ;
that ambitious persons, that is, those who hunt after the
applause of men, cannot serve Christ. He declares for him-
self, that he had freely renounced the estimation of men, in
order to devote himself entirely to the service of Christ ;
and, in this respect, he contrasts his present position with
that which he occupied at a former period of kfe. He had
been regarded with the highest esteem, had received from
every quarter loud applause ; and, therefore, if he had chosen
to please men, he would not have found it necessary to
change his condition. But we may draw from it the general
doctrine which I have stated, that those who resolve to serve
Christ faithfully, must have boldness to despise the favour
of men.

The word men is here employed in a limited sense ; for
the ministers of Christ ought not to labour for the express

Se ee

CHAP.1. L1. EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. ae

purpose of displeasing men. But there are various classes
of men. Those to whom Christ “is precious,” (1 Pet. 11. 7,)
are men whom we should endeavour to please in Christ ;
while they who choose that the true doctrine shall give place
to their own passions, are men to whom we must give no
countenance. And godly, upright pastors, will always find
it necessary to contend with the offences of those who choose
that, on all points, their own wishes shall be gratified ; for
the Church will always contain hypocrites and wicked men,
by whom their own lusts will be preferred to the word of
God. And even good men, either through ignorance, or
through weak prejudice, are sometimes tempted by the devil
to be displeased with the faithful warnings of their pastor.
Our duty, therefore, is not to take alarm at any kind of
offences, provided, at the same time, that we do not excite
in weak minds a prejudice against Christ himself.

Many interpret this passage in a different manner, as im-
plying an admission to the following effect: “ If I pleased
men, then I should not be the servant of Christ. I own it,
but who shall bring such a charge against me? Who does
not see that I do not court the favour of men?” But I pre-
fer the former view, that Paul is relating how large an
amount of the estimation of men he had relinquished, in
order to devote himself to the service of Christ.

11. Now I make known to you. This is the most powerful
argument, the main hinge on which the question turns, that
he has not received the gospel from men, but that it has
been revealed to him by God. As this might be denied, he
offers a proof, drawn from a narrative of facts. To give his
declaration the greater weight, he sets out with stating that
the matter is not doubtful,’ but one which he is prepared to
prove ; and thus introduces himself in a manner well adapted
to a serious subject. He affirms that it is not according to
man ; that it savours of nothing human, or, that it was not of
human contrivance ; and in proof of this he afterwards adds,
that he had not been instructed by any earthly teacher.”

1 « Quil ne parle point d’une chose incertaine ou ineognue.” “ That
he does not speak about a thing uncertain or unknown,”
? « The idiom by which there is a transposition of é7 is frequent, and

38 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. 1. 138.

12. For I neither received it from man. What then ?
shall the authority of the word be diminished, because one
who has been instructed by the instrumentality of men shall
afterwards become a teacher? We must take into account,
all along, the weapons with which the false apostles attacked
him, alleging that his gospel was defective and spurious ;
that he had obtained it from an inferior and incompetent
teacher ; and that his imperfect education led him to make
unguarded statements. They boasted, on the other hand,
that they had been instructed by the highest apostles, with
whose views they were most intimately acquainted. It was
therefore necessary that Paul should state his doctrine in
opposition to the whole world, and should rest it on this
ground, that he had acquired it not in the school of any
man, but by revelation from God. In no other way could
he have set aside the reproaches of the false apostles.

The objection, that Ananias (Acts ix. 10) was his teacher,
may be easily answered. His divine instruction, communi-
cated to him by immediate inspiration, did not render it
improper that a man should be employed in teaching him,
were it only to give weight to his public ministry. In like
manner, we have already shown, that he had a direct call
from God by revelation, and that he was ordained by the
votes and the solemn approbation of men. These statements
are not inconsistent with each other.

13. For ye have heard of my conversation. The whole of
this narrative was added as a part of his argument. He
relates that, during his whole life, he had such an abhorrence
of the gospel, that he was a mortal enemy of it, and a de-
stroyer of the name of Christianity. Hence we infer that
his conversion was divine. And indeed he calls them as
witnesses of a matter not at all doubtful, so as to place be-
yond controversy what he is about to say.

His equals were those of his own age; for a comparison
with older persons would have been unsuitable. When he
speaks of the traditions of the fathers, he means, not those
additions by which the law of God had been corrupted, but

may here, Schott thinks, have been made use of, in order to place a
highly important topic in the most prominent point of view.”—Bloomfield.

CHAP. 1. 15. EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. 39
the law of God itself, in which he had been educated from
his childhood, and which he had received through the hands
of his parents and ancestors. Having been strongly attached
to the customs of his fathers, it would have been no easy

matter to tear him from them. had not the Lord drawn him

by a miracle.

15. But when it pleased God,
who separated me from my mother’s
womb, and called me by his grace,

16. To reveal his Son in me, that
I might preach him among the hea-
then; immediately I conferred not
with flesh and blood :

17. Neither went I up to Jerusa-
lem to them which were apostles
before me; but I went into Arabia,
and returned again unto Damascus.

18. Then, after three years, I went
up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and
abode with him fifteen days.

19. But other of the apostles saw
I none, save James the Lord’s bro-
ther.

20. Now the things which I write
unto you, behold, before God, I lie
not.

21. Afterwards I came into the
regions of Syria and Cilicia ;

22. And. was unknown by face
unto the churches of Judea which
were in Christ:

23. But they had heard only, that
he which persecuted us in times past,
now preacheth the faith which once
he destroyed.

_ 24. And they glorified God in me.

15. At postquam placuit Deo, qui
me segregaverat ab utero matris
mew, et vocavit per gratiam suam,

16. Revelare Filium suum mihi,
ut predicarem ipsum inter Gentes,
continud non contuli cum carne et
sanguine ;

17. Neque redii Hierosolymam,
ad eos qui ante me fuerunt Apostoli;
sed abii in Arabiam, ac denuo rever-
sus sum Jamascum.

18. Deinde post annos tres redii
Hierosolymam, ut viderem Petrum ;
et mansi apud illum dies quindecim.

19. Alium autem ex Apostolis non
vidi quenquam, nisi Iacobum fratrem
Domini.

20. Porrd qui scribo vobis, ecce
coram Deo, non mentior.

21. Deinde veni in regiones Syriz
ac Cilicie.

22. Eram autem facie ignotus
Ecclesiis ude, quee erant in Christo.

23. Sed tantim hie rumor apud
illos erat ; Qui persequebatur nos
aliquando, nune preedicat fidem quam
quondam expugnabat.

24. Et glorificabant in me Deum.

15. But after that it pleased God. This is the second part

of the narrative, and relates to his miraculous conversion.
He tells us, first, that he had been called by the grace of
God to preach Christ among the Gentiles; and, next, that
as soon as he had been called, without consulting the apostles,
he unhesitatingly proceeded to the performance of the work,
which, he felt assured, had been enjoined upon him by the
appointment of God. In the construction of the words,
Erasmus differs from the Vulgate. He connects them in the
following manner: “ When it pleased God that I should
preach Christ among the Gentiles, who called me for this

40 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP.1.15.

purpose that he might reveal him by me.” But I prefer the
old translation ; for Christ had been revealed to Paul before
he received a command to preach. Admitting that Erasmus
were right in translating ev éywol, by me, still the clause, that
LI might preach, is added for the purpose of describing the
kind of revelation.

Paul’s reasoning does not, at first sight, appear so strong ;
for although, when he had been converted to Christianity,
he instantly, and without consulting the apostles, entered
into the office of preaching the gospel, it does not thence
follow that he had been appointed to that office by the re-
velation of Christ. But the arguments which he employs
are various, and, when they are all collected, will be found
sufficiently strong to establish his conclusion. He argues,
first, that he had been called by the grace of God; next,
that his apostleship had been acknowledged by the other
apostles ; and the other arguments follow. Let the reader,
therefore, remember to read the whole narrative together,
and to draw the inference, not from single parts, but from
the whole.

Who had separated me. This separation was the purpose
of God, by which Paul was appointed to the apostolic office,
before he knew that he was born. The calling followed
afterwards at the proper time, when the Lord made known
his will concerning him, and commanded him to proceed to
the work. God had, no doubt, decreed, before the founda-
tion of the world, what he would do with regard to every one
of us, and had assigned to every one, by his secret counsel,
his respective place. But the sacred writers frequently in-
troduce those three steps: the eternal predestination of God,
the destination from the womb, and the calling, which is the
effect and accomplishment of both.

The word of the Lord which came to Jeremiah, though
expressed a little differently from this passage, has entirely
the same meaning. “ Before I formed thee in the belly, I

knew thee; and before thou camest forth from the womb I -

sanctified thee ; a prophet to the nations have I made thee.”
(Jer. i. 5.) Before they even existed, Jeremiah had been
set apart to the office of a prophet, and Paul to that of an

CHAP.T. 15. EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. 41

apostle ; but he is said to separate us from the womb, be-
cause the design of our being sent into the world is, that he
may accomplish, in us, what he has decreed. The calling is
delayed till its proper time, when God has prepared us for
the office which he commands us to undertake.

Paul’s words may therefore be read thus: “ When it
pleased God to reveal his Son, by me, who called me, as he
had formerly separated me.” He intended to assert, that
his calling depends on the secret election of God; and that
he was ordained an apostle, not because by his own industry
he had fitted himself for undertaking so high an office, or
because God had accounted him worthy of having it bestowed
upon him, but because, before he was born, he had been set
apart by the secret purpose of God.

Thus, in his usual manner, he traces his calling to the
good pleasure of God. This deserves our careful attention ;
for it shows us that we owe it to the goodness of God, not
only that we have been elected and adopted to everlasting
life, but that he deigns to make use of our services, who
would otherwise haye been altogether useless, and that he
assigns to us a lawful calling, in which we may be employed.
What had Paul, before he was born, to entitle him to so high
an honour? In like manner we ought to believe, that it is
entirely the gift of God, and not obtained by our own indus-
try, that we have been called to govern the Church.

The subtle distinctions into which some commentators
have entered in explaining the word separated, are altogether
foreign to the subject. God is said to separate us, not be-
cause he bestows any peculiar disposition of mind which
distinguishes us from others, but because he appoints us by
his own purpose.’ Although the apostle had most explicitly
attributed his calling to the free grace of God, when he pro-
nounced that voluntary separation from the womb to be the
origin of it, yet he repeats the direct statement, both that, by
his commendation of Divine grace, he may take away all
grounds of boasting, and that he may testify his own grati-
tude to God. On this subject he is wont freely to ex-

‘ « Quand par son conseil il nous destine a quelque chose.” “ When
he appoints us to any thing by his purpose.”

42 . COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. 1. 17.

patiate, even when he has no controversy with the false
apostles.

16. To reveal his Son to me. If we read it, “ to reveal by
me,” it will express the design of the apostleship, which is
to make Christ known. And how was this to be accom-
plished ? By preaching him among the Gentiles, which the
false apostles treated as a crime. But I consider the Greek
phrase év euoi,' to be a Hebrew idiom for to me ; for the He-
brew particle 1 (beth) is frequently redundant, as all who
know that language are well aware. The meaning will
therefore be, that Christ was revealed to Paul, not that he
might alone enjoy, and silently retain in his own bosom the
knowledge of Christ, but that he might preach among the
Gentiles the Saviour whom he had known.

Immediately I conferred not. To confer with flesh and
blood, is to consult with flesh and blood. So far as the mean-
ing of these words is concerned, his intention was absolutely
to have nothing to do with any human counsels. The general
expression, as will presently appear from the context, in-
eludes all men, and all the prudence or wisdom which they
may possess.” He even makes a direct reference to the
apostles, for the express purpose of exhibiting, in a stronger
light, the immediate calling of God. Relying on the autho-
rity of God alone, and asking nothing more, he proceeded to
discharge the duty of preaching the gospel.

17. Neither did I return to Jerusalem. What he had just
written is now explained, and more fully stated. As if he
had said, “I did not ask the authority of any man,” not

1“ °Ey twol, that is, ‘to me; but yet it appears to denote something
more.”—Beza. . “ The ancient commentators, and, of the moderns, Winer,
Schott, and Scott, seem right in regarding this as a strong expression for
‘in my mind and heart.’ ”—Bloomfield.

2 « The expression, ‘ flesh and blood,’ is “ise to denote men. Thus
when Peter confessed to our Lord, ‘Thou art Christ, the Son of the living
God,’ Jesus answered, ‘ Flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee.’
(Matt. xvi. 17.) That i is, no man hath made this discovery; and thus it
hath the same meaning in the place before us. But as the apostle speaks
of his countrymen and equals in age, in the verses before, I apprehend he
particularly means them, and that he intends to assure the Galatians, that,
notwithstanding his former zeal for the law and the traditions of the Jews,
yet that, after his extraordinary conversion, he had no longer any depend-
ence on then nor sought the least direction from the wisest among them.”
—-Chandler.

CHAP. I. 18. EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. 43

even of the apostles themselves. It is a mistake to suppose,
that, because the apostles are now separately mentioned,
they are not included in the words, flesh and blood. Nothing
new or different is here added, but merely a clearer expla-
nation of what had been already said. And no disrespect
to the apostles is implied in that expression. For the pur-
pose of shewing that he did not owe his commission to man,
the false boasting of unprincipled men laid him under the
necessity of contrasting the authority of the apostles them-
selves with the authority of God. When a creature is
brought into comparison with God, however contemptuous
or humiliating may be the language employed, he has no
reason to complain.

But I went into Arabia. In the Acts of the Apostles,
Luke has omitted these three years. In like manner, there
are other passages of the history which he does not touch ;
and hence the slander of those who seek to build on this a
charge of inconsistency in the narratives is ridiculous. Let
godly readers consider the severe temptation with which Paul
was called to struggle at the very commencement of his
course. He who but yesterday, for the sake of doing him
honour, had been sent to Damascus with a magnificent
retinue, is now compelled to wander as an exile in a foreign
land: but he does not lose his courage.

18. Then after three years. It was not till three years
after he had begun to discharge the apostolic office, that he
went up to Jerusalem. Thus, he did not, at the outset, re-
ceive the calling of men. But lest it should be supposed
that he had separate interests from theirs, and was desirous
to avoid their society, he tells us that he went up for the
express purpose to see’ Peter.” Although he had not waited
for their sanction before undertaking the office, yet it was not
against their will, but with their full consent and approba-
tion, that he held the rank of an apostle. He is desirous to

1 “‘Ierogeiv signifies either ‘to ascertain any thing by inquiry, or any
person by personal examination ;’ but sometimes, as here, ‘ to visit for the
purpose of becoming acquainted with any one by personal communication.’
So Josephus, Bell. vi. 1-8, 2 (scil. Julianum) ‘erdgncz, ‘whom when I
came to know and be with.’ See Acts ix. 26, 27.”—Bloomfield.

4 «The distinguished guest of a distinguished host.”—Grotius.

44, COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. I. 20.

shew that at no period was he at variance with the apostles,
and that even now he is in full harmony with all their views.
By mentioning the short time that he remained there, he
shews that he had come, not with a view to learn, but solely
for mutual intercourse.

19. But I saw no other of the apostles. This is added to
make it evident that he had but one object in his journey,
and attended to nothing else.

Except James. Who this James was, deserves inquiry.
Almost all the ancients are agreed that he was one of the
disciples, whose surname was “ Oblias” and “ The Just,”
and that he presided over the church at Jerusalem. Yet
others think that he was the son of Joseph by another wife,
and others (which is more probable) that he was the cousin
of Christ by the mother’s side: but as he is here mentioned
among the apostles, I do not hold that opinion. Nor is
there any force in the defence offered by Jerome, that the
word Apostle is sometimes applied to others besides the
twelve; for the subject under consideration is the highest
rank of apostleship, and we shall presently see that he was
considered one of the chief pillars. (Gal. 1. 9.) It appears
to me, therefore, far more probable, that the person of whom
he is speaking is the son of Alpheus.’

The rest of the apostles, there is reason to believe, were
scattered through various countries; for they did not idly
remain in one place. Luke relates that Paul was brought
by Barnabas to the apostles. (Acts ix. 27.) This must be
understood to relate, not to the twelve, but to these two
apostles, who alone were at that time residing in Jerusalem.

20. Now the things which I write to you. This affirma-
tion extends to the whole narrative. The vast earnestness
of Paul on this subject is evinced by his resorting to an oath,

1 “ Qui estoit pasteur en l’eglise de Jerusalem.” ‘“ Who was pastor in
the church at Jerusalem.”

2 « Qu’il estoit cousin-germain de Jesus Christ, fils de la soeur de sa
mere.” “That he was cousin-german of Jesus Christ, his mother’s sister’s
oe This is fully consistent with the opinion commonly held, that Alpheus
or Cleopas was the husband of the sister of Mary, the mother of our Lord,

and consequently that James, the son of Alpheus, was our Lord’s cousin-
german.—Ed.

Ve

CHAP. I. 24. EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. 45

which cannot lawfully be employed but on great and weighty
occasions. Nor is it wonderful that he insists with so much
earnestness on this point ; for we have already seen to what
expedients the impostors had recourse in order to take from
him the name and credit of an apostle. Now the modes of
swearing used by good men deserve our attention ; for we
learn from them that an oath must be viewed simply as an
appeal to the judgment-seat of God for the integrity and
truth of our words and actions; and such a transaction
ought to be guided by religion and the fear of God.

22. And was unknown by face. This appears to be added
for the sake of shewing more strongly the wickedness and
malignity of his slanderers. If the churches of Judea who
had only heard respecting him, were led to give glory to God
for the astonishing change which he had wrought in Paul, how
disgraceful was it that those who had beheld the fruits of
his amazing labours should not have acted a similar part !
If the mere report was enough for the former, why did not
the facts before their eyes satisfy the latter ?

23. Which once he destroyed. This does not mean that
- faith’ may actually be destroyed, but that he lessened its in-
fluence on the minds of weak men. Besides, it is the will,
rather than the deed, that is here expressed.

24. And they glorified God in me.2 This was an evident
proof that his ministry was approved by all the churches of
Judea, and approved in such a manner, that they broke out
into admiration and praise of the wonderful power of God.
Thus he indirectly reproves their malice, by shewing that
their venom and slanders could have no other effect than to
hide the glory of God, which, as the apostles admitted and
openly acknowledged, shone brightly in the apostleship of
Paul.

This reminds us of the light in which the saints of the Lord
ought to be regarded by us. When we behold men adorned
with the gifts of God, such is our depravity, or ingratitude,

1 «The word viczs denotes not only the act of believing, but that which
is believed.” —Beza.

* “He does not say, They praised or glorified me, but, They glorified

God. He says, They glorified God in me; for all that belongs to me was
from the grace of God.”—icumenius.

one a

46 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. II. 1.
or proneness to superstition, that we worship them as gods,
unmindful of Him by whom those gifts were bestowed.
These words remind us, on the contrary, to lift up our eyes
to the Great Author, and to ascribe to Him what is his own,
while they at the same time inform us that an occasion of
offering praise to God was furnished by the change produced
on Paul, from being an enemy to becoming a minister of

Christ.

CHAPTER II.

1. Then, fourteen years after, I
went up again to Jerusalem with
Barnabas, and took Titus with me
also.

2. And I went up by revelation,
and communicated unto them that
gospel which I preach among the
Gentiles, but privately to them
which were of reputation, lest by
any means I should run, or had
run, in vain.

3. But neither Titus, who was
with me, being a Greek, was com-
pelled to be circumcised :

4. And that because of false bre-
thren unawares brought in, who
came in privily to spy out our liberty
which we have in Christ Jesus, that
they might bring us into bondage:

5. To whom we gave place by
subjection, no, not for an hour, that
the truth of the gospel might conti-
nue with you.

1. Fourteen years after.

affirmed to be the same journey mentioned by Luke.

1. Deinde post annos quatuor-
decim ascendi rursus Hierosolymam
una cum Barnaba, assumpto simul
et Tito.

2. Ascendi autem secundum re-
velationem, et contuli cum _ illis
evangelium, quod predico inter
Gentes; privatim vero cum iis qui
in pretio erant, ne quo modo in ya-
num currerem, aut cucurrissem,

~ 3. Sed neque Titus, qui mecum
erat, quum esset Greecus, compul-
sus fuit cireumeidi ;

4. Propter subingressos falsos
fratres, qui subintroierant ad explo-
randum libertatem nostram, quam
habemus in Christo Iesu; quo nos
in servitutem adigerent ;

5. Quibus ne ad horam quidem
cessimus per subjectionem, ut veri-
tas evangelii maneret apud vos.

This cannot with certainty be

(Acts

xv. 2.) The connection of the history leads us rather to an
opposite conclusion. We find that Paul performed four
journeys to Jerusalem. Of the first we have already spoken.
The second took place when, in company with Barnabas, he
brought the charitable contributions of the Greek and
Asiatic Churches. (Acts xii. 25.) My belief that this
second journey is referred to in the present passage rests on
various grounds. On any other supposition, the statements

CHAP. II. 1]. EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. 47

of Paul and Luke cannot be reconciled. Besides, there is
ground for conjecturing that the rebuke was administered
to Peter at Antioch while Paul was residing there. Now,
this happened before he was sent to Jerusalem by the
Churches to settle the dispute which had arisen about cere-
monial observances. (Acts xv. 2.) It is not reasonable to
suppose that Peter would have used such dissimulation, if
that controversy had been settled and the decree of the
Apostles published. But Paul writes that he came to Jeru-
salem, and afterwards adds that he had rebuked Peter for
an act of dissimulation, an act which Peter certainly would
not have committed except in matters that were doubtful.*

Besides, he would scarcely have alluded, at any time, to
that journey,” undertaken with the consent of all the be-
lievers, without mentioning the occasion of it, and the
memorable decision which was passed. It is not even cer-
tain at what time the Epistle was written, only that the
Greeks conjecture that it was sent from Rome, and the
Latins from Ephesus. For my own part, I think that it
was written, not only before Paul had seen Rome, but before
that consultation had been held, and the decision of the
Apostles given about ceremonial observances. While his
opponents were falsely pleading the name of the apostles,
and earnestly striving to ruin the reputation of Paul, what
carelessness would it have argued in him to pass by the de-
cree universally circulated among them, which struck at
those very persons!? Undoubtedly, this one word would
have shut their mouth: ‘“ You bring against me the autho-
rity of the apostles, but who does not know their decision ?
and therefore I hold you convicted of unblushing falsehood.
In their name, you oblige the Gentiles to keep the law, but
I appeal to their own writing, which sets the consciences
of men at liberty.”

We may likewise observe, that, in the commencement of

1 « Sinon les choses estant douteuses et non resolués encore.” Except
in matters that were doubtful and not yet settled.”

2 « Ce voyage-la qui est escrit au quinzieme chapitre.” “That journey
which is recorded in the fifteenth chapter” (of the Acts of the Apostles. )

8 «De la quelle il eust eu assez pour les vaincre du tout.” ‘ Which
would have been sufficient for gaining a complete victory over them.”

48 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. II. 2.

the Epistle, he reproved the Galatians for having so soon re-
volted from the gospel which had been delivered to them.
But we may readily conclude, that, after they had been
brought to believe the gospel, some time must have elapsed
before that dispute about the ceremonial law arose. I con-
sider, therefore, that the fourteen years are to be reckoned,
not from one journey to another, but from Paul’s conversion.
The space of time between the two journeys was eleven
years.

2. And I went up according to revelation. He now pro-
ceeds to prove his apostleship and his doctrine, not only by
works, but also by a Divine revelation. Since God directed
that journey, which had for its object the confirmation of his
doctrine, the doctrine was confirmed, not by the concurrence
of men only, but likewise by the authority of God. This
ought to have been more than enough to overcome the ob-
stinacy of those who blamed Paul by holding up the names
of the apostles. For although, up to this time, there had
been some room for debate, the communication of the mind
of God put an end to all discussion.

I communicated to them. The word communicated claims
our first attention ; for the apostles do not prescribe to him
what he ought to teach, but, after listening to his own ac-
count of his doctrine, express their concurrence and appro-
bation. But, as his opponents might allege that, by cunning
dissimulation on many points, he had gained the favour of
the apostles, he expressly states that he “communicated to
them that doctrine which he preacheth among the Gentiles ;”
which removes all suspicion of hypocrisy or imposture. We
shall see what followed ; for the apostles did not take it
amiss that he had not waited to obtain their sanction. On
the contrary, without dispute or expostulation, they approved
of his labours ; and did so by the direction of the same
Spirit, under whose guidance Paul had performed his jour-
ney to Jerusalem. Thus, he was not made an apostle by
them, but acknowledged to be an apostle. But this point
will be treated more fully afterwards.

1 « Et y montai par revelation.” “And I went up thither by revela-
tion.”

SY She ues ieee
ee Re ee 4

wie

CHAP, II. 2. EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. 49

Lest by any means. What then? Shall the word of God
fall, when it is unsupported by the testimony of men ?
Though the whole world were unbelieving, yet the word of :
God remains firm and unshaken: and they who preach the
gospel by the command of God are not uselessly employed,
even when no fruit is produced by their labours. This is
not Paul’s meaning ; but, as the consciences of men, so long
as they doubt and hesitate, derive no benefit from the
ministry of the word, so a preacher is said, so far as men is
concerned, to run in vain, when his labours are ineffectual,
and unaccompanied by proper edification.

It was, therefore, a formidable weapon for shaking weak
consciences, when the doctrine which Paul preached was
falsely declared by impostors to be at variance with the
doctrine of the apostles. Multitudes in this manner fell
away. ‘The certainty of faith, indeed, does not depend on
the agreement of human opinions; but, on the contrary, it
is our duty to rest in the naked truth of God, so that neither ~
men nor all the angels together, could shake our faith. Yet
ignorant persons, who have imperfectly understood, and
never have cordially embraced, sound doctrine, feel the temp-
tation to be almost irresistible, when teachers of acknow-
ledged eminence are found to entertain opposite views.
Nay, strong believers are sometimes powerfully affected by
this stratagem of Satan, when he holds out to their view the
“strife and divisions” (1 Cor. ii. 3) of those who ought to
have been “ perfectly joined together in the same mind and
in the same judgment.” (1 Cor.i.10.) It is hard to tell
how many were driven from the gospel, how many had their
faith shaken, by the mournful controversy about the bodily
presence of Christ in the Lord’s Supper, because, on a ques-
tion of the highest moment, very distinguished men were
observed to take opposite sides.

On the other hand, the agreement of all who teach in the
Church is a powerful aid for the confirmation of faith. ~
Since, therefore, Satan was labouring so insidiously to
hinder the progress of the gospel, Paul resolved to meet
him. When he had succeeded in demonstrating that he held
the same views with all the apostles, every hinderance was

D

50 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. I. 4.

removed. Weak disciples were no longer perplexed by the
inquiry, whom they ought to follow. His meaning may be
thus summed up: “That my former labours might not be
thrown away and rendered useless, I have set at rest the
question which disturbed many minds, whether I or Peter
deserved your confidence; for in all that I had ever taught
we were perfectly at one.” If many teachers in our own
day were as heartily desirous as Paul was to edify the
Church, they would take more pains to be agreed among
themselves.

3. But neither Titus. This is an additional argument to
prove that the Apostles held the same views with himself ;
for he had brought to them an uncircumcised man, whom
they did not hesitate to acknowledge as a brother. The
reason is assigned why he was not circumcised ; for cireum-
cision, being a matter of indifference, might be neglected or
practised as edification required. Our invariable rule of
action is, that, if “all things are lawful for us,” (1 Cor. x.
23,) we ought to inquire what is expedient. He circumcises
Timothy, (Acts xvi. 3,) in order to take away a ground of
offence from weak minds; for he was at that time dealing
with weak minds, which it was his duty to treat with ten-
derness. And he would gladly have done the same thing
with Titus, for he was unwearied in his endeavours to “ sup-
port (Acts xx. 35) the weak ;” but the case was different.
For some false brethren were watching for an opportunity
of slandering his doctrine, and would immediately have
spread the report: “See how the valiant champion of
liberty, when he comes into the presence of the apostles,
lays aside the bold and fierce aspect which he is wont to
assume among the ignorant!” Now, as it is our duty to
“bear the infirmities of the weak,” (Rom. xv. 1,) so con-
cealed foes, who purposely watch for our liberty, must be
vigorously resisted. The duties of love to our neighbour
ought never to be injurious to faith ; and therefore, in mat-
ters of indifference, the love of our neighbour will be our
best guide, provided that faith shall always receive our first
regard.

4. And that because of false brethren. This may mean

Sage

CHAP. II. 5. EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. 51

either that false brethren made it the subject of wicked
accusation, and endeavoured to compel him; or that Paul
purposely did not circumcise him, because he saw that they
would immediately make it an occasion of slander. They
had insinuated themselves into Paul’s company with the
hope of gaining one of two objects. Either he would treat
with open scorn the ceremonial law, and then they would
rouse the indignation of the Jews against him ; or he would
refrain entirely from the exercise of his liberty, and in that
case they would exult over him among the Gentiles as one
who, overwhelmed with shame, had retracted his doctrine.

I prefer the second interpretation, that Paul, having dis-
covered the snares laid for him, determined not to cireum-
cise Titus. When he says that he was not “ compelled,’ the
reader is led to understand that circumcision is not con-
demned as a bad thing in itself, but that the obligation to
observe it was the subject of dispute. As if he had said,
“T would have been prepared to circumcise Titus if higher
matters had not been involved.” Their intention was to lay
down a law ; and to such compulsion he would not yield.

5. To whom we gave place by subjection, no, not for an
hour. This steadiness was the seal of Paul’s doctrine. For
when false brethren, who wished nothing more than a ground
of accusation against him, exerted themselves to the utmost,
and he stood firm, there could no longer be any room for
doubt. It cannot now be insinuated that he deceived the
apostles. He asserts that he did not for a moment give place
to them by subjection, that is, by such a mode of yielding as
would have implied that his liberty had been crushed. In
every other respect, he was prepared, to the very close of
his life, to exercise mildness and forbearance toward all men.

That the truth of the gospel. There was no danger that
Paul would be deprived of his liberty even by yielding to
them; but the example would have done harm to others,
and therefore he prudently inquired what was expedient.
This shews us how far offences must be avoided, and points
us to edification as the object which ought to be kept in
view in all matters of indifference. The amount is this:
“We are the servants of the brethren, but still keeping in

52 COMMENTARIES ON THE OHAP. II. 5:

view that we all serve the Lord, and that the liberty of our
conscience shall remain unimpaired.” When false brethren
wished to bring the saints into bondage, it was their duty
not to yield to them.

The truth of the gospel denotes its genuine purity, or,
which means the same thing, its pure and entire doctrine.
For the false apostles did not altogether set aside the gospel,
but mixed up with it their own notions, so as to give ita
false and disguised aspect, which it always has when we
make the smallest departure “from the simplicity that is in
Christ.” (2 Cor. xi. 3.)

With what effrontery then will the Papists boast that they
possess the gospel, which is not only corrupted by many in-
ventions, but more than adulterated by many wicked doc-
trines? Let us remember that it is not enough to retain the
name of the gospel, and some kind of summary of its doc-
trines, if its solid purity do not remain untouched. Where
are the men who, by pretended moderation, endeavour to
bring about a reconciliation between us and the Papists? as
if the doctrine of religion, like a matter affecting money or
property, could be compromised. With what abhorrence
would such a transaction have been regarded by Paul, who
affirms that it is not the true gospel, if it is not pure !

6. But of those who seemed to be 6. Ab iis autem qui videbantur

somewhat, whatsoever they were, it
maketh no matter to me: God ac-
cepteth no man’s person; for they
who seemed to be somewhat in con-
ference added nothing to me:

7. But contrariwise, when they
saw that the gospel of the uncir-
cumcision was committed unto me,
as the gospel of the circumcision was
unto Peter ;

8. (For he that wrought effect-
ually in Peter to the apostleship of
the circumcision, the same was
mighty in me toward the Gentiles :)

9. And when James, Cephas, and
John, who seemed to be pillars, per-

aliquid esse, quales aliquando fue-
rint, nihil mea refert (personam ho-
minis Deus non accipit, Deut. x.
17; 2 Paral. xix. 7 ; Job xxxiv/ 19;
Wisdom vi. 8.; Ecclus. xxxv. 15;
Acts x. 34; Rom. ii. 11; Eph. vi.
9; Coloss. iii. 25: 1 Pet. i. 173)
nam mihi, qui videbantur esse in
pretio nihil contulerunt.

7. Imo contra, quum vidissent
mihi concreditum fuisse evangelium
preeputii, quemadmodum Petro Cir-
cumcisionis ;

8. (Nam qui efficax fuit in Petro
ad apostolatum Circumcisionis efti-
cax fuit et in me erga Gentes) ;

_9. Quumque cognovissent gra-
tiam mihi datam Iacobus et Cephas

CHAP. II. 6. -

ceived the grace that was given unto
me, they gave to me and Barnabas

the right hands of fellowship; that —

we should go unto the heathen, and
they unto the circumcision.

10. Only they would that we
should remember the poor; the
same which | also was forward to do.

6. Of those who seemed to be somewhat.

EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS, 53

et Ioannes, qui videbantur columnze
esse, dextras dederunt mihi ac Bar-
nabe societatis, ut nos inter Gentes,
ipsi vero in Cireumcisionem, aposto-
latu fungeremur.

10. Tantum ut pauperum me-
mores essemus, in quo et diligens
fui, ut hoe ipsum facerem.

Paul is not yet

satisfied, without making the Galatians understand that he
had learned nothing from Peter and the apostles. Hence
Porphyry and Julian” accuse the holy man of pride, because
he claims so much for himself that he cannot endure to learn
anything from others; because he boasts of having become
a teacher without any instruction or assistance ; and because
he labours so hard not to appear in an inferior character.
But any one who will considér how necessary that boasting
was, will acknowledge that it was holy boasting, and worthy
of the highest praise; for, if he had yielded this point to
his opponents, that he had profited under the apostles, he
would have furnished them with two charges against him.
They would immediately have said, “ And so you made some
progress ; you corrected your past errors, and did not repeat
your former rashness.” Thus, in the first place, the whole
doctrine which he had hitherto taught would have fallen
under suspicion; and, secondly, he would ever afterwards
have possessed less authority, because he would have been
reckoned but an ordinary disciple. We find, therefore, that
it was not on his own account, but by the necessity under
which he lay to establish the doctrine, that he was led to
this holy boasting. The controversy has no reference to

1 “ Tay doxodyrwy sivei c1, the men ‘who appeared to be somewhat,’ that
is, persons of highest character and estimation. For though this word
signifies to ‘ appear,’ or ‘ seem,’ yet it is not always used in a diminutive or
disparaging sense, but to denote what they really are, and what others
think them to be. Thus, ray ‘EAAjvay Doxodvres Sieger (ASlian) are persons
esteemed as the principal men of Greece; and Aristotle is said cos yg
nui av xui tives doxav, “both to be, and to be esteemed as a wise man.’ ”—
Chandler.

* Porphyry, (Tee¢tgus.) a Greek philosopher, (whose original name was
Malchus,) and Julian, the Roman emperor, (commonly called “the apos-
tate,”) were able and virulent opponents of Christianity. Their writings
drew forth powerful defences, by which all their arguments were triumph-
antly confuted.—£d.

54 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. II. 6.

individuals, and therefore cannot be a struggle of ambition ;
but Paul’s determination was that no man, however eminent,
should throw into the shade his apostleship, on which the
authority of his doctrine depended. If this be not enough
to silence those dogs, their barking is sufficiently answered.

Whatsoever they were. These words must be read as a
separate clause ; for the parenthesis was intended to assure
his opponents that he did not concern himself with the
opinions of men. This passage has been variously inter-
preted. Ambrose thinks that it isa passing reference to
the folly of attempting to lower Paul by holding up the
apostles ; and represents him as saying, “As if I were not
equally at liberty to object that they were poor, illiterate
men, while I, from my early years, enjoyed a liberal educa-
tion under the care of Gamaliel. But I pass over all this,
because I know that there is no respect of persons with
God.” Chrysostom and Jerome take a harsher view of the
words, as an indirect threatening of the most distinguished
apostles. ‘‘ Whatsoever they may be, if they swerve from
duty, they shall not escape the judgment of God; neither
the dignity of their office, nor the estimation of men, shall
protect them.” But another interpretation appears to me
more simple, and more agreeable to Paul’s design. He
admits that they were first in the.order of time, but contends
that this did not prevent him from being their equal in rank.
He does not say that it is of no consequence to him what
they are at present; but he is speaking of a period now
past, when they were already apostles, and when he was
opposed to the faith of Cnarist. In short, he does not
choose that what is past shall decide the matter; and re-
fuses to admit the proverb, that he who comes first has the
best right.

No man’s person. Besides the interpretations which I
have mentioned, a third is not unworthy of notice,—that in .
the government of the world distinctions of rank are ad-
mitted, but in the spiritual kingdom of Christ they can have
no place. There is plausibility in the statement, but it is in
reference to worldly government, that it is said, “Ye shall
not respect persons in judgment.” (Deut.i.17.) But Ido not

fw

CHAP. 11. 6. EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. oo

enter into that argument, for it does not affect this passage.
Paul simply means, that the honourable rank which the
apostles had attained did not prevent him from being called
by God, and raised, all at once, from the lowest condition
to be their equal. The difference between them, though
great, is of no value in the sight of God, who does not accept
persons, and whose calling is not influenced by any preju-
dices. But this view may likewise appear liable to objec-
tion; for, granting it to be true, and a truth which must
be carefully maintained, that in our intercourse with God
there is no respect of persons, how does this apply to Peter
and his fellow-apostles, who were venerable, not merely for
their rank, but for true holiness and spiritual gifts ?

The word person is contrasted with the fear of God and a
good conscience; and this is its ordinary acceptation in
Scripture. (Acts x. 34,35; 1 Pet.i.17.) But piety, zeal,
holiness, and other similar graces, were the principal grounds
of the esteem and respect in which the apostles were held ;
while Paul speaks contemptuously of them, as if they had
possessed nothing but the outward forms.

I reply: Paul is not discussing the real worth of the
apostles, but the idle boasting of his adversaries. In order
to support their own unfounded pretensions, they talked in
lofty terms of Peter, and James, and John, and took advan-
tage of the veneration with which they were regarded by
the Church, for accomplishing their earnest desire of degrad-
ing Paul. His object is not to inquire what the apostles
are, or what opinion must be formed respecting them when
controversy is laid aside, but to tear off the disguises which
the false apostles wore. As in a subsequent part of the
Epistle he treats of circumcision, not in its real character,
but in the false and impious notion attached to it by those
impostors, so he now declares that the-apostles were in the
sight of God disguises, by which those ‘persons attempted to
shine in the world; and this is evident from the words.
Why did they prefer them to Paul? because they were his
predecessors in office. Tis was a mere disguise. In any
other point of view, they would have been highly esteemed,
and the gifts of God manifested in them would have been

56 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. JI. 7.

warmly admired by one so singularly modest as the apostle
Paul, who elsewhere’ acknowledges that he was “the least
of the apostles,’ and unworthy to occupy so exalted a sta-
tion. “I am the least of the apostles, and not worthy to be
called an apostle, because I persecuted the Church of God.”
@- Gor. xv. 9.)

They communicated nothing to me. It might also be
rendered, “they communicated nothing with me;” for it
is the same word which he formerly used twice! But the
meaning is the same. When the apostles had heard Paul’s
gospel, they did not on the other side bring forward their
own, (as is commonly done when something better and more
perfect is desired,) but were satisfied with his explanation,
and simply and unhesitatingly embraced. his doctrine, so
that not even on the most doubtful point did a single word
of debate pass between them. Nor are we to suppose that
Paul, presuming on his superiority, took the lead in the
discussion, and dictated to his brethren. On the contrary,
his faith, about which unfavourable rumours had been
spread, was fully explained by him, and sanctioned by their
approbation.

7. But, on the contrary. They immediately gave him the
right hand of fellowship. (Ver. 9.) Consequently they
gave their testimony to his doctrine, and without any ex-
ception ; for they produced nothing on the other side, as is
commonly done on debated points, but acknowledged that
he held the same gospel in common with them, and was
therefore entitled to the honours and rank of an associate.
Now, one condition of this fellowship was, that they distri-
buted the provinces among themselves. . They were there-
fore equal, and there was no subjection on the part of Paul.
To “give the right hands of fellowship” means here, to have
a partnership settled by mutual agreement.

When they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision was
comnutted to me. He asserts that he was not indebted to
the apostles for the favour of being made an apostle by fheir
consent and approbation, but that, in conceding to him the
apostleship, they only refused to take away what God had

1 gvebéueny avrois, ver. 2.

CHAP. Il. 7. EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. 57

given. He constantly urges that he was made an apostle
by the gift and appointment of God, but adds here that he
was acknowledged as such by the apostles themselves.
Hence it followed, that those unprincipled men were at-
tempting, what the apostles durst not have attempted, to
oppose the election of God.

And here he begins to claim what belonged to himself in
preference to others, the apostleship of the uncircumcision.
For Paul and Barnabas differed from the rest in this respect,
that they had been appointed to be apostles of the Gentiles.
(Acts xiii. 2.) That had been done by a Divine revelation,
which the apostles not only did not oppose, but determined
to ratify, because not to obey it would have been impious.
This shews us in what manner they arranged their respec-
tive duties, in compliance with a Divine revelation, namely,
that Paul and Barnabas should be the apostles of the
Gentiles, and that the others should be the apostles of the
Jews.

But this appears to be at variance with the command of
Christ, which enjoins that the twelve shall “go unto all the
world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” (Mark xvi.
15.) I reply, that command was not intended to apply
specifically to each individual, but describes in general terms
the design of the apostolic office, which was, that salvation
must be proclaimed to all nations by the doctrine of the
gospel. For the apostles evidently did not travel over the
whole world; nay, it is probable that not one of the twelve
ever passed into Europe. What they allege about Peter
may, for aught I know, be fabulous, and is, at all events,
quite uncertain.

All of them, it will be objected, had still a commission
both to Gentiles and to Jews. I own they had, as occasion
offered. Each apostle, I grant, was entrusted with the pub-
lication of the gospel both among Gentiles and Jews ; for
the distribution was not of such a nature as to assign them
fixed boundaries, like those of kingdoms, principalities, and
provinces, which could not lawfully be passed. We see that
Paul, wherever he went, uniformly offered his labours and
services, in the first instance, to the Jews. As he hada

58 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. It. 8.

right, while living among the Gentiles, to offer himself as an
apostle and teacher to the Jews; so the others were at
liberty, wherever they had it in their power, to bring Gen-
tiles to Christ ; and we find Peter exercising this privilege
with regard to Cornelius and others. (Acts x. 1.) But as
there were other apostles in that district, which was almost
wholly inhabited by Jews, Paul travelled through Asia,
Greece, and other distant parts, and on this occasion was
specially ordained to be an apostle to the Gentiles. Nay,
when the Lord first commanded him to be set apart, he
directed him to leave Antioch and Syria, and perform
voyages to distant countries for the sake of the Gentiles.
On ordinary occasions, therefore, he was the apostle of the
Gentiles, and on extraordinary occasions, he was the apostle
of the Jews. The other apostles, again, took the Jews for
their own department, but with the understanding that,
when an opportunity occurred, they would be at liberty to
direct their ministrations to the Gentiles ; this last, however,
being in their case an extraordinary service. .

But if Peter’s apostleship had a peculiar reference to the
Jews, let the Romanists see on what ground they derive
from him their succession to the primacy. If the Pope of
Rome claims the primacy because he is Peter’s successor,
he ought to exercise it over the Jews. Paul is here declared
to be the chief apostle of the Gentiles, yet they affirm that
he was not bishop of Rome; and, therefore, if the Pope
would establish any claim to his primacy, let him gather
churches from among the Jews. He who by a decree of the
Holy Spirit, and by the consent of the whole apostolic col-
lege, has been solemnly declared to be one of the apostles,
cannot but be acknowledged by us in that character. Those
who would transfer that right to Peter set aside all ordina-
tion, both human and divine. It is unnecessary to explain
here the well-known metaphor in the words circumcision
and uncircumcision, as applied to Jews and Gentiles.

8. He that wrought effectually. That the province which
had been assigned to him was truly his own, is proved by
the exertion of divine power during his ministry. Now,
this manifestation of divine energy, as we have frequently

fae ee Oe, ne a

CHAP. 11.9. EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. _ 59

seen, is the seal by which his doctrine was attested, and his
office as a teacher sanctioned. Whether Paul refers God’s
effectual working to the success of his preaching, or to the
graces of the Holy Spirit which were then bestowed on be-
lievers, is doubtful. I do not understand it as denoting the
mere success, but the spiritual power and efficacy,! which
he has elsewhere mentioned. (1 Cor. i. 4.) The amount
of the whole is, that it was no idle bargain which the
apostles had made among themselves, but a decision which
God had sealed.

9. And when they perceived the grace. They who treated
with contempt the grace of God, by which the most emi-
nent apostles had been led to admire and reverence Paul,
are charged with hateful and proud disdain. If they should
allege that they were ignorant of that which the apostles
knew from the beginning, the hypocritical pretence was not
to be endured. ‘This admonishes us to yield to the grace
of God, wherever it is perceived, unless we choose to con-
tend with the Holy Spirit, whose will it is that his gifts
shall not remain unemployed. The grace which the apostles
perceived to have been given to Paul and Barnabas, induced
them to sanction their ministry by receiving them as their
associates.

James and Cephas. I have already stated, that James
was the son of Alpheus. He could not be “ the brother of
John,” who had been lately put to death by Herod, (Acts
x1l. 2,) and to suppose that one of the disciples had been
placed above the apostles would be absurd. That he held
the highest rank among the apostles, is made evident by
Luke, who ascribes to him the summing up and decision of
the cause in the council, (Acts xv. 13,) and afterwards men-
tions his having assembled “all the elders” of the church of
Jerusalem. (Acts xxi. 18.) When he says, that they seemed
to be pillars, he does not speak contemptuously, but quotes
the general opinion, arguing from it, that what was done by
such men ought not to be lightly set aside. In a question
relating to diversity of rank, it is surprising that James
should be mentioned before Peter; but the reason perhaps

1“ La vertu et efficace spirituelle.”

60 JOMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. 11, 10.
is, that he presided over the church at Jerusalem. As to
the word pillar, we know that, from the nature of things,’
those who excel in ability, prudence, or other gifts, possess
greater authority. And even in the Church of God, he who
enjoys a larger measure of grace ought, on that account, to
receive the higher honour. It argues ingratitude, nay im-
piety, not to worship the Spirit of God wherever he appears
in his gifts; and as a people cannot want a pastor, so the
assemblies of pastors require a moderator. But in all cases
let the rule be followed, “ He that is greatest among you
shall be your servant.” (Matt. xxiii. 11.)

10. That we should remember the poor. It is evident that
the brethren who were in Judea laboured under extreme
poverty: otherwise they would not have burdened other
churches. That might arise both from the various calami-
ties which befell the whole nation, and from the cruel rage
of their own countrymen, by which they were every day
stript of their possessions. It was proper that they should
receive assistance from the Gentiles, who owed to them the
inestimable benefit of the gospel. Paul says, that he was
forward to do, that he faithfully performed, what the
apostles had requested from him, and thus he takes away
from his adversaries a pretext which they were desirous to

seize.

11. But when Peter was come to
Antioch, I withstood him to the face,
because he was to be blamed.

12. For, before that certain came
from James, he did eat with the
Gentiles: but when they were come,
he withdrew, and separated himself,
fearing them which were of the cir-
cumcision.

13. And the other Jews dissem-
bled likewise with him; insomuch
that Barnabas also was carried away
with their dissimulation.

14. But when I saw that they
walked not uprightly, according to
the truth of the gospel, I said unto
Peter before them all, Ifthou, being
a Jew, livest after the manner of
Gentiles, and not as do the Jews,
why compellest thou the Gentiles to
live as do the Jews?

11. Quum autem venisset Petrus
Antiochiam, palam ei restiti, eo quod
reprehensione dignus esset.

12. Nam antequam _ venissent
quidam ab Iacobo, una cum Genti-
bus sumebat cibum; quum autem
venissent, subduxit ac separavit se
ab illis, metuens eos qui erant ex
Circumcisione.

13. Ac simulabant una cum illo
cxeteri quoque Iudeei, adeo ut Bar-
nabas simul abduceretur in illorum
simulationem.

14. Verum ubi vidissem, quod
non recto pede incederent ad veri-
tatem evangelii, dixi Petro coram
omnibus :~Si tu, quum sis Iudeeus,
Gentiliter vivis, et non Inudaice; cur
cogis Gentes Iudaizare ?

CHAP. 11. 11.

15. We who are Jews by nature,
and not sinners of the Gentiles,

16. Knowing that a man is not.

justified by the works of the law,
but by the faith of Jesus Christ,
even we have believed in Jesus
Christ, that we might be justified
by the faith of Christ, and not by
the works of the law: for by the
works of the law shall no flesh be

EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS.

6]

15. Nos natura Iudeei, et non ex
Gentibus peccatores,

16. Cognito, non justificari homi-
nem ex operibus legis, nisi per fidem
Tesu Christi, et nos in Iesum Chris-
tum credidimus, ut justificaremur
ex fide Christi, et non ex operibus
legis; propterea quod non justifi-
eabitur ex operibus legis omnis
caro.

justified.

11. When Peter was come. Whoever will carefully examine
all the circumstances, will, I trust, agree with me in think-
ing, that this happened before the apostles had decided that
the Gentiles should receive no annoyance about ceremonial
observances. (Acts xv. 28.) For Peter would have enter-
tained no dread of offending James, or those sent by him,
after that decision had been passed: but such was the dis-
simulation of Peter, that, in opposing it, Paul was driven to
assert “ the truth of the gospel.’ At first he said, that the
certainty of his gospel does not in any degree depend on
Peter and the apostles, so as to stand or fall by their judg-
ment. Secondly, he said, that it had been approved by all
without any exception or contradiction, and particularly by
those who were universally admitted to hold the highest
place. Now, as I have said, he goes further, and asserts
that he had blamed Peter for leaning to the other side; and
he proceeds to explain the cause of the dispute. It was no
ordinary proof of the strength of his doctrine, that he not
only obtained their cordial approbation, but firmly maintained
it in a debate with Peter, and came off victorious. What
reason could there now be for hesitating to receive it as cer-
tain and undoubted truth ?

At the same time, this is a reply to another calumny,
that Paul was but an ordinary disciple, far below the rank
of an apostle: for the reproof which he administered was an
evidence that the parties were on an equal footing. The
highest, I acknowledge, are sometimes properly reproved by
the lowest, for this liberty on the part of inferiors towards
their superiors is permitted by God ; and so it does not fol-
low, that he who reproves another must be his equal. But
the nature of the reproof deserves notice. Paul did not

62 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. 11. [1

simply reprove Peter, as a Christian might reprove a Chris- -
tian, but he did it officially, as the phrase is; that is, in the
exercise of the apostolic character which he sustained. °

This is another thunderbolt which strikes the Papacy of
Rome. It exposes the impudent pretensions of the Roman
Antichrist, who boasts that he is not bound to assign a rea-
son, and sets at defiance the judgment of the whole Church.
Without rashness, without undue boldness, but in the exer-
cise of the power granted him by God, this single individual
chastises Peter, in the presence of the whole Church ; and
Peter submissively bows to the chastisement. Nay, the
whole debate on those two points was nothing less than a
manifest overthrow of that tyrannical primacy, which the
Romanists foolishly enough allege to be founded on divine
right. If they wish to have God appearing on their side, a
new Bible must be manufactured ; if they do not wish-to
have him for an open enemy, those two chapters of the Holy
Scriptures must be expunged.

Because he was worthy of blame. The Greek participle,
KaTeyvoopevos, signifies Blamed, so that the words run, “ be-
cause he was blamed ;” but I have no doubt whatever, that
the word was intended to express, ‘“ one who deserves just
blame.” Chrysostom makes the meaning to be, that others
had previously indulged in complaint and accusation ; but
this is really trifling. It was customary with the Greeks to
give to their participles the signification of nouns, which,
every person must see, is applicable to this passage. This
will enable us to perceive the absurdity of the interpretation
given by Jerome and Chrysostom, who represent the whole
transaction as a feigned debate, which the apostles had pre-
viously arranged to take place in presence of the people.
They are not even supported by the phrase, “ I withstood
him to the face,” kata mpecwmov, which means that “ to the
face,” or “being present,’ Peter was chastised and struck
dumb. The observation of Chrysostom, that, for the sake
of avoiding scandal, they would have talked in private if
they had any difference, is frivolous. The less important
must be disregarded in comparison of the most dangerous of
all scandals, that the Church would be rent, that Christian

CHAP. II. 14. EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. 63

liberty was in danger, that the doctrine of the grace of
Christ was overthrown; and therefore this public offence
must be publicly corrected.

The chief argument on which Jerome rests is excessively
trifling. “ Why should Paul,” says he, “ condemn in an-
other what he takes praise for in himself? for he boasts that
‘to the Jews he became as a Jew.” (1 Cor. ix. 20.) I
reply, that what Peter did is totally different. Paul accom-
modated himself to the Jews no farther than was consistent
with the doctrine of liberty ; and therefore he refused to
circumcise Titus, that the truth of the gospel might remain
unimpaired. But Peter Judaized in such a manner as to
“compel the Gentiles” to suffer bondage, and at the same
time to create a prejudice against Paul’s doctrine. He did not,
therefore, observe the proper limit ; for he was more desir-
ous to please than to edify, and more solicitous to inquire
what would gratify the Jews than what would be expedient
for the whole body. Augustine is therefore right in assert-
ing, that this was no previously arranged plan, but that Paul,
out of Christian zeal, opposed the sinful and unseasonable
dissimulation of Peter, because he saw that it would be in-
jurious to the Church.

12. For before that certain persons came. The state of
the case is here laid down. For the sake of the Jews, Peter
had withdrawn himself from the Gentiles, in order to drive
them from the communion of the Church, unless they would
relinquish the liberty of the Gospel, and submit to the yoke
of the Law. If Paul had been silent here, his whole doctrine
fell ; all the edification obtained by his ministry was ruined.
It was therefore necessary that he should rise manfully, and
fight with courage. This shews us how cautiously we ought
to guard against giving way to the opinions of men, lest an
immoderate desire to please, or an undue dread of giving
offence, should turn us aside from the right path. If this
might happen to Peter, how much more euuy may it happen
to us, if we are not duly careful !

- 14, But when I saw that they walked not uprightly. Some
apply these words to the Gentiles, who, perplexed by Peter’s
example, were beginning to give way ; but it is more natu-

64 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP, It. 14.

ral to understand them as referring to Peter and Barnabas,
and their followers. The proper road to the truth of the
gospel was, to unite the Gentiles with the Jews in such a
manner that the true doctrine should not be injured. But
to bind the consciences of godly men by an obligation to
keep the law, and to bury in silence thie doctrine of liberty,
was to purchase unity at an exorbitant price.

The truth of the gospel is here used, by Paul, in the same
sense as before, and is contrasted with those disguises by
which Peter and others concealed its beauty. In such a
ease, the struggle which Paul had to maintain must un-
questionably have been serious. They were perfectly agreed
about doctrine ;! but since, laying doctrine out of view, Peter
yielded too submissively to the Jews, he is accused of halt-
ing. There are some who apologize for Peter on another
ground, because, being the apostle of the circumcision, he
was bound to take a peculiar concern in the salvation of the
Jews ; while they at the same time admit that Paul did right
in pleading the cause of the Gentiles. But it is foolish to
defend what the Holy Spirit by the mouth of Paul has con-
demned. ‘This was no affair of men, but involved the purity
of the gospel, which was in danger of being contaminated by
Jewish leaven.

Before them all. This example instructs us, that those
who have sinned publicly must be publicly chastised, so far
as concerns the Church. The intention is, that their sin may
not, by remaining unpunished, form a dangerous example ;
and Paul elsewhere (1 Tim. v. 20) lays down this rule ex-
pressly, to be observed in the case of elders, ‘“ Them that sin
rebuke before all, that others also may fear ;” because the
station which they hold renders their example more perni-
cious. It was particularly advantageous, that the good cause,

1 « From this portion of sacred history, we are not at liberty to conclude
that either of those two apostles had fallen into error in faith; or that they
differed from each other about doctrine. Unquestionably, so far as relates
to doctrine, Peter was of the same opinion with Paul on this subject, that
it was lawful for a Jew to live on terms of friendship with believing Gen-
tiles. —The whole of this controversy related, not to the doctrine of Chris-
tian liberty, but to the exercise of it at different times and places; and on
this point the rules of prudence were better understood by Paul than by
Peter.”—Witsius,

ae

~

CHAP, 11. 15. EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. 65

in which all had an interest, should be openly defended in
presence of the people, that Paul might have a better oppor-
tunity of shewing that he did not shrink from the broad light
of day. °*

Tf thou, being a Jew. Paul’s address to Peter consists of
two parts. In the first, he expostulates with him for his in-
justice toward the Gentiles, in compelling them to keep the
Jaw, from the obligations of which he wished himself to be ex-
empted. For, not to mention that every man is bound to
keep the law which he lays down for others, his conduct was
greatly aggravated by compelling the Gentiles to observe
Jewish ceremonies, while he, being a Jew, left himself at
liberty. The law was given to Jews, not to Gentiles ; so that
he argues from the less to the greater.

Next, it is argued, that, in a harsh and violent manner,
he compelled the Gentiles, by withdrawing from their com-
munion, unless they chose to submit to the yoke of the law ;
and thus imposed on them an unjust condition. And, indeed,
the whole force of the reproof lies in this word, which neither
Chrysostom nor Jerome has remarked. The use of ceremo-
nies was free for the purposes of edification, provided that
believers were not deprived of their liberty, or laid under any
restraint from which the gospel sets them free.

15. We who are Jews by nature. Some, I am aware, think
that this is stated in the form of an objection, (avOurrogopa,)
anticipating what might be urged on the other side, that the
Jews possessed higher privileges ; not that they would boast
of exemption from the law, (for it would have been highly
absurd, that they to whom the Law was given should make
this their boast,) but that there was a propriety in retaining
some points of distinction between them and the Gentiles.
I do not entirely reject, and yet, as will afterwards appear, I
do not altogether adopt this view. Some, again, consider
that it is Paul himself who uses this argument, “ If you were
to lay upon the Jews the burden of the law, it would be more
reasonable, because it is theirs by inheritance,” But neither
do I approve of this view.

He is now proceeding to the second part of his speech,
which commences with an anticipation. The Gentiles dif-

E

66 COMMENTARIES ON THE ouap. 11. 15.
fered from them in this respect, that they were “unholy
and profane,” (1 Tim. 1. 9;) while the Jews, being holy, so
far as God had chosen them for his people, might contend
for this superiority. Skilfully anticipating the objection,
Paul turns it to the opposite conclusion. Since the Jews
themselves, with all their advantages, were forced to betake
themselves to the faith of Christ, how much more necessary
was it that the Gentiles should look for salvation through
faith? Paul’s meaning therefore is: “ We, who appear to
excel others,—we, who, by means of the covenant, have always
enjoyed the privilege of being nigh to God, (Deut. iv. 7,)
have found no method of obtaining salvation, but by believing
in Christ: why, then, should we prescribe another method
to the Gentiles? For, if the law were necessary or advan-
tageous for salvation to those who observed its enactments,
it must have been most of all advantageous to us to whom
it was given; but if we relinquished it, and betook ourselves
to Christ, much less ought compliance with it to be urged
upon the Gentiles.” |

The word sinner, signifies here, as in many other places,
a “profane person,” (Heb. xii. 16,) or one who is lost and
alienated from God. Such were the Gentiles, who had no
intercourse with God; while the Jews were, by adoption,
the children of God, and therefore set apart to holiness. By
nature, does not mean that they were naturally free from
the corruption of the human race; for David, who was a
descendant of Abraham, acknowledges, “ Behold, I was
shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me,”
(Ps. li. 5 ;) but the corruption of nature, to which they were
liable, had been met by the remedy of sanctifying grace.
Now, as the promise made the blessing hereditary, so this
benefit is called natural; just as, in the Epistle to the Ro-
mans, he says, that they were sprung from a “holy root.”
(Rom. xi. 16.)

When he says, we are Jews by nature, his meaning is,
“We are born holy: not certainly by our own merit, but
because God hath chosen us to be his people.” Well,
then, we who were by nature Jews, what have we done?
“We have believed in Jesus Christ.” What was the de-

id

CHAP. 17. 15. EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. 07

sign of our believing? “That we might be justified by the
faith of Christ.” For what reason? Because we “know
that a man is not justified by the works of the law.” From
the nature and effect of faith, he reasons that the Jews are
in no degree justified by the law. For, as they who “go
about to establish their own righteousness have not submitted
themselves to the righteousness of God,” (Rom. x. 3,) so, on
the contrary, they who believe in Christ, confess that they
are sinners, and renounce justification by works. This involves
the main question, or rather, in this single proposition nearly
the whole controversy is embodied. It is the more necessary
to bestow some care on the examination of this passage.

The first thing to be noticed is, that we must seek justifi-
cation by the faith of Christ, because we cannot be justified
by works. Now, the question is, what is meant by the works
of the law? The Papists, misled by Origen and Jerome, are
of opinion, and lay it down as certain, that the dispute re-
lates to shadows ; and accordingly assert, that by “the works
of the law” are meant ceremonies. As if Paul were not rea-
soning about the free justification which is bestowed on us
by Christ. For they see no absurdity in maintaining that
“no man is justified by the works of the law,” and yet that,
by the merit of works, we are accounted righteous in the
sight of God. In short, they hold that no mention is here |
made of the works of the moral law. But the context clearly |
proves that the moral law is also comprehended in these
words ; for almost everything which Paul afterwards ad-
vances belongs more properly to the moral than to the cere-
monial law; and he is continually employed in contrasting
the righteousness of the law with the free acceptance which
God is pleased to bestow.

It is objected by our opponents, that the term “ works”
must have been employed without any addition, if Paul had
not intended to limit it to a particular class. But I reply,
there is the best of all reasons for this mode of expression ;
for, though a man were to excel all the angels in holiness, no
reward is due to works, but on the footing of a Divine pro-
mise. Perfect obedience to the law is righteousness, and
has a promise of eternal life annexed to it; but it derives

ce

68 . COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. u. 15.

this character from God, who declares that “ they who have
fulfilled them shall live”’ (Ley. xviii. 5.) On this point we
shall afterwards treat more fully in its own place.’ Besides,
the controversy with the Jews was about the law. Paul,
therefore, chose rather to bring the matter to an issue, by
meeting them at once on their own ground, than to adopt
a more circuitous route, which might wear the aspect of
evading the subject, or distrusting his cause. Accordingly
he resolves to have a close debate about the law.

Their second objection is, that the whole question raised
was about ceremonies, which we readily allow. Why then,
say they, would the apostle pass suddenly from a particular
department to the whole subject? This was the sole cause
of the mistake into which Origen and Jerome were betrayed;
for they did not think it natural that, while the false apostles
were contending about ceremonies alone, Paul should take
in a larger field. But they did not consider that the very
reason for disputing so keenly was, that the doctrine led to
more serious consequences than at first view appeared. It
would not have given so much uneasiness to Paul that cere-
monies should be observed, as that the confident hope and
the glory of salvation should be made to rest on works ; just
as, in the dispute about forbidding flesh on certain days, we

do not look so much to the importance of the prohibition .« -

itself, as to the snare which is laid for the consciences of
men. Paul, therefore, does not wander from the subject,
when he enters into a controversy about the whole law,
although the arguments of the false apostles were confined
wholly to ceremonies. Their object in pressing ceremonies
was, that men might seck salvation by obedience to the law,
which, they falsely maintained, was meritorious ; and accord-
ingly, Paul meets them, not with the moral law, but with
the grace of Christ alone. And yet this extended discussion
does not occupy the whole of the Epistle ; he comes at length
to the specific question of ceremonies: but as the most seri-
ous difficulty was, whether justification is to be obtained by
works or by faith, it was proper that this should be first
settled. As the Papists of the present day are uneasy when
1 See p. 90.

ee

CHAP. Ir. 16. EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. 69

we extort from them the acknowledgment that men are
justified by faith alone, they reluctantly admit that “the
works of the law” include those of a moral nature. Many
of them, however, by quoting Jerome’s gloss, imagine that
they have made a good defence; but the context will shew
that the words relate also to the moral law.'

16. But by the faith of Jesus Christ. He does not merely
state that ceremonies, or works of any kind, are insufficient
without the assistance of faith, but meets their denial by a
statement admitting of no exception, as if he had said, “ Not
by works, but by the faith of Christ alone.’ In any other
point of view, the sentiment would have been trivial and
foreign to the purpose; for the false apostles did not reject
Christ nor faith, but demanded that ceremonies should be
joined with them. If Paul had admitted this claim, they
would have been perfectly at one, and he would have been
under no necessity to agitate the church by this unplea-
sant debate. let it therefore remain settled, that the
proposition is so framed as to admit of no exception,
“that we are justified in no other way than by faith,”
or, “that we are not justified but by faith,’ or, which
amounts to the same thing, “that we are justified by faith
alone.”

Hence it appears with what silly trifling the Papists of
our day dispute with us about the word, as if it had been a
word of our contrivance. But Paul was unacquainted with
the theology of the Papists, who declare that a man is justi-
fied by faith, and yet make a part of justification to consist
in works. Of such half-justification Paul knew nothing.
For, when he instructs us that we are justified by faith, be-
cause we cannot be justified by works, he takes for granted
what is true, that we cannot be justified through the righ-
teousness of Christ, unless we are poor and destitute of a

1 « The Papists will readily acknowledge that we are justified by faith ;
but they add that it is in part. Now this gloss spoils all; for they are
convinced that we cannot be righteous before God, unless it be accom-
plished by our Lord Jesus Christ, and unless we rely on that salvation
which he has procured for us. The Papists see this very well; and there-
fore, with a careless air, they will say, We are justified by faith. But by
faith alone? No. On this point they give battle, and this is the chief
article on which we differ from them.”—Calvin’s Sermons.

70 COMMENTARIES ON THE ouapP, 11.17
righteousness of our own.’ Consequently, either nothing or
all must be ascribed to faith or to works. As to the word
justification, and the manner in which faith is the cause of
it, we shall afterwards see.

By the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. He
had already appealed to the consciences of Peter and others,
and now confirms it more fully by affirming that such is the
actual truth, that by the works of the law no mortal will
obtain justification. This is the foundation of a freely be-
stowed righteousness, when we are stripped of a righteous-
ness of our own. Besides, when he asserts that no mortal
is justified by the righteousness of the law, the assertion
amounts to this, that from such a mode of justification all

mortals are excluded, and that none can possibly reach it.

17. But if, while we seek to be
justified by Christ, we ourselves also
are found sinners, 7s therefore Christ
the minister of sin? God forbid.

18. Forif I build again the things
which I destroyed, I make myself a
transgressor.

19. For I through the law am
dead to the law, that I might live
unto God.

20. 1 am crucified with Christ :
nevertheless I live; yet not I, but
Christ liveth in me: and the life
which I now live in the flesh I live
by the faith of the Son of God, who
loved me, and gave himself for me.

21. Ido not frustrate the grace
of God: for if righteousness come
by the law, then Christ is dead in
vain.

17. Porro si querentes justificari
in Christo, inventi sumus ipsi quo-
que peccatores, ergo Christus pec-
cati minister est ? absit.

18. Nam si que destruxi hee
rursum eedifico, preevaricatorem me
ipsum constituo.

19. Ego enim per Legem Legi
mortuus sum. Ut Deo viverem,

20. Cum Christo sum crucifixus ;
vivo autem non amplius ego, sed,
vivit in me Christus; quod autem
nune vivo in carne, in fide vivo Filii
Dei, qui dilexit me, et tradidit se
ipsum pro me.

21. Non abjicio gratiam Dei; si
enim per Legem Justitia, ergo Chris-
tus gratis mortuus est.

17. If, while we seek to be justified. He now returns to

the Galatians.

We must take care not to connect this verse

with the preceding one, as if it were a part of the speech
addressed to Peter: for what had Peter to do with this ar-
gument ? It certainly has very little, if anything, to do with
the speech ; but let every one form his own opinion.
Chrysostom, and some other commentators, make the whole
Sinon en nous recognoissant despourveus et du tout desnuez de jus-

tice propre a nous.” “ Unless by acknowledging that we are poor and
utterly destitute of any righteousness of our own.”

OMAP. Ir. 17. EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS, ra

passage to be an affirmation, and interpret it thus: “If,
while we seek to be justified by Christ, we are not yet per-
fectly righteous, but still unholy, and if, consequently, Christ
is not sufficient for our righteousness, it follows that Christ
is the minister of the doctrine which leaves men in sin :”
supposing that, by this absurd proposition, Paul insinuates
a charge of blasphemy against those who attribute a part of
justification to the law. But as the expression of indignant
abhorrence immediately follows, which Paul is never accus-
tomed to employ but in answer to questions, I am rather
inclined to think that the statement is made for the purpose
of setting aside an absurd conclusion which his doctrine —
appeared to warrant. He puts a question, in his usual
manner, into the mouth of his antagonists. “If, in conse-
quence of the righteousness of faith, we, who are Jews and
were ‘sanctified from the womb,’ (Jer. i. 5; Gal. i. 15,) are
reckoned guilty and polluted, shall we say that Christ makes
sin to be powerful in his own people, and that he is there-
fore the author of sin 2?”

This suspicion arose from his having said that Jews, by
believing in Christ, renounce the righteousness of the law ;
for, while they are still at a distance from Christ, Jews, se-
parated from the ordinary pollution of the Gentiles, appear
to be in some respects exempted from the appellation of
sinners. The grace of Christ places them on a level with
the Gentiles ; and the remedy, which is common to both,
shews that both had laboured under the same disease. This
is the force of the particle also,—we ourselves also,—mean-
ing not any description of men, but the Jews, who stood
highest.

Far from it. He properly rejects that inference. Christ,
who discovers the sin which lay concealed, is not therefore
the minister of sin; as if, by depriving us of righteousness,
he opened the gate to sin, or strengthened its dominion.'
The Jews were mistaken in claiming any holiness for them-

lei rueaBuois ravTo yevouiorus, OTL TOY Yomoy RaTAAITOVTES EY Xeiwrg Snroumey
Dinaiabyvas, haiti cig avroy Xeirroy qowenre. If this be reckoned an offence,
that we have forsaken the law, and seek to be justified through Christ, the
blame will fall on Christ himself.”— Theodoret.

72 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP, 11. 19.

selves apart from Christ, while they had none. Hence arose
the complaint: “ Did Christ come to take from us the
righteousness of the law, to change saints into polluted men,
to subject us to sin and guilt ?’? Paul denies it, and repels
the blasphemy with abhorrence. Christ did not bring sin,
-but unveiled it; he did not take away righteousness, but
stripped the Jews of a false disguise.

18. For af I build again. The reply consists of two parts.
This is the first part, and informs us that the supposition
now made is at variance with his whole doctrine, since he had
preached the faith of Christ in such a manner as to connect
with it the ruin and destruction of sin. For, as we are
taught by John, that Christ came not to build up the king-
dom of sin, but “that he might destroy the works of the
devil,” (1 John iii. 8,) so Paul declares, that, in preaching’
the gospel, he had restored true righteousness, in order that
sin might be destroyed. It was, therefore, in the highest
degree improbable, that the same person who destroyed sin
should renew its power; and, by stating the absurdity, he
repels the calumny.

19. For I through the law. Now follows the direct reply,
that we must not ascribe to Christ that work which pro-
perly belongs to the law. It was not necessary that Christ
should destroy the righteousness of the law, for the law itself
slays its disciples. As if he had said, “‘ You deceive wretched
men by the false notion, that they must live by the law;
and, under that pretext, you keep them in the law. And
yet you bring it as a charge against the Gospel, that it anni-
hilates the righteousness which we have by the law. But it
is the law which forces us to die to itself; for it threatens
our destruction, leaves us nothing but despair, and thus
drives us away from trusting to the law.”

This passage will be better understood by comparing it with
the seventh chapter of the Epistle to the Romans. There
Paul describes beautifully, that no man lives to the law, but
he to whom the law is dead, that is, has lost all power and
efficacy ; for, as soon as the law begins to live in us, it in-
flicts a fatal wound by which we die, and at the same time
breathes life into the man who is already dead to sin. Those

CHAP. 11. 19. EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. io

who live to the law, therefore, have never felt the power of
the law, or properly understood what the law means ; for the
law, when truly perceived, makes us die to itself, and it is
from this source, and not from Christ, that sin proceeds.

To die to the law, may either mean that we renounce it,
and are delivered from its dominion, so that we have no
confidence in it, and, on the other hand, that it does not
hold us captives under the yoke of slavery ; or it may mean,
that, as it ailures us all to destruction, we find in it no life.
The latter view appears to be preferable. It is not to Christ,
he tells us, that it is owing that the law is more hurtful
than beneficial ; but the law carries within itself the curse
which slays us. Hence it follows, that the death which is
brought on by the law is truly deadly. With this is con-
trasted another kind of death, in the life-giving fellowship
of the cross of Christ. He says, that he is crucified together
with Christ, that he might live unto God. The ordinary
punctuation of this passage obscures the true meaning. It
is this: “I through the law am dead to the law, that I
might live to God.” But the context will read more
smoothly thus: “I through the law am dead to the law ;”
then, in a separate sentence, “ That I might live to God, I
am crucified with Christ.”

That I might live to God. We shews that the kind of
death, on which the false apostles seized as a ground of
quarrel, is a proper object @f desire ; for he declares that we
are dead to the law, not by any means that we may live to
sin, but that we may live to God. To hve to God, some-
times means to regulate our life according to his will, so as
to study nothing else in our whole life but to gain his ap-
probation ; but here it means to live, if we may be allowed
the expression, the life of God. In this way the various
points of the contrast are preserved ; for in whatever sense
we are said to die to sin, in the same sense do we live to
God. In short, Paul informs us that this death is not mor-
tal, but is the cause of a better life ; because God snatches
us from the shipwreck of the law, and by his grace raises us
up to another life. I say nothing of other interpretations ;
but this appears to be the apostle’s real meaning.

74 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. 11. 20.

20. 1 am crucified with Christ. This explains the man-
ner in which we, who are dead to the law, live to God. In-
grafted into the death of Christ, we derive from it a secret
energy, as the twig does from the root. Again, the hand-
writing of the law, “ which was contrary to us, Christ has
nailed to his cross.” (Col. ii. 14.) Being then crucified with
him, we are freed from all the curse and guilt of the law.
He who endeavours to set aside that deliverance makes void
the cross of Christ. But let us remember, that we are de-
livered from the yoke of the law, only by becoming one
with Christ, as the twig draws its sap from the root, only
by growing into one nature.

Nevertheless I live. To the feelings of man, the word Death
is always unpleasant. Having said that we are “ crucified
with Christ,’ he therefore adds, “ that this makes us alive.”

Yet not I, but Christ liveth in me. . This explains what he

meant by “ living to God.” He does not live by his own
life, but is animated by the secret power of Christ ; so that
Christ may be said to live and grow in him; for, as the soul
enlivens the body, so Christ imparts life to his members. It
is a remarkable sentiment, that believers live out of them-
selves, that is, they live in Christ ; which can only be accom-
plished by holding real and actual communication with him.
Christ lives in us in two ways. The one life consists in
-governing us by his Spirit, and directing all our actions;
the other, in making us partakegs of his righteousness ; so
that, while we can do nothing of ourselves, we are accepted
in the sight of God. The first relates to regeneration, the
second to justification by free grace. This passage may be
understood in the latter sense ; but if it is thought better
to apply it to both, I will cheerfully adopt that view.

And the life which I now live in the flesh. There is hardly
a sentence here which has not been torn by a variety of
interpretations. Some understand by the word flesh, the
depravity of sinful nature ; but Paul means by it simply the
bodily life, and it is to this that the objection applies. “ You
live a bodily life ; but while this corruptible body performs its
functions,—while it is supported by eating and drinking,
this is not the heavenly life of Christ. It is therefore an

CHAP. It. 20. EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. 75

unreasonable paradox to assert, that, while you are openly
living after the ordinary manner of men, your life is not
your own.”

Paul replies, that it consists in faith ; which intimates
that it is a secret hidden from the senses of man. The
life, therefore, which we attain by faith, is not visible
to the bodily eye, but is inwardly perceived in the con-
science by the power of the Spirit ; so that the bodily life
does not prevent us from enjoying, by faith, a heavenly life.
“ He hath made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ
Jesus.” (Eph. 11.6.) Again, “ Ye are fellow-citizens with
the saints and of the household of God.” (Eph. ii. 19.) And
again, “ Our conversation is in heaven.” (Phil. iii. 20.)
Paul’s writings are full of similar assertions, that, while we
live in the world, we at the same time live in heaven ; not
only because our Head is there, but because, in virtue of
union, we enjoy a life in common with him. (John xiv. 23.)

Who loved me. This is added to express the power of
faith ; for it would immediately occur to any one,—whence
does faith derive such power as to convey into our souls the
life of Christ? He accordingly informs us, that the love of
Christ, and his death, are the objects on which faith rests ;
for it is in this manner that the effect of faith must be
judged. How comes it that we live by the faith of Christ ?
Because “ he loved us, and gave himself for us.” The love
of Christ led him to unite himself to us, and he completed
the union by his death. By giving himself for us, he suffered
in our own person ; as, on the other hand, faith makes us
partakers of every thing which it finds in Christ. The men-
tion of love is in accordance with the saying of the apostle
John, “ Not that we loved God, but he anticipated us by his
love.” (1 Johniv. 10.) For if any merit of ours had moved
him to redeem us, this reason would have been stated ; but
now Paul ascribes the whole to love: it is therefore of free
grace. Let us observe the order: ‘“ He loved us, and gave
himself for us.” As if he had said, ‘ He had no other reason
for dying, but because he loved us,” and that “ when we were
enemies,” (Rom. v. 10,) as he argues in another Epistle.

He gave himself. No words can properly express what

76 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. 11. 21
this means ; for who can find language to declare the éxcel-
lency of the Son of God? Yet he it is who gave himself as
a price for our redemption. Atonement, cleansing, satisfac-
tion, and all the benefits which we derive from the death of
Christ, are here represented.! The words for me, are very
emphatic. It will not be enottgh for any man to contem-
plate Christ as having died for the salvation of the world,
unless he has experienced the consequences of this death,
and is enabled to claim it as his own. 2

21. I do not reject. There is great emphasis in this ex-
pression ; for how dreadful is the ingratitude manifested in
despising the grace of God, so invaluable in itself, and ob-
tained at such a price! Yet this heinous offence is charged
against the false apostles, who were not satisfied with having
Christ alone, but introduced some other aids towards obtain-
ing salvation. For, if we do not renounce all other hopes,
and embrace Christ alone, we reject the grace of God. And
what resource is left to the man, who “ puts from him” the
grace of God, “ and judges himself unworthy of everlasting
life?” (Acts xii. 46.) os

Christ is dead in vain.* There would then have been no
value in the death of Christ; or, Christ would have died
without any reward ; for the reward of his death is, that he
has reconciled us to the Father by making an atonement
for our sins. Hence it follows, that we are justified by his
grace, and, therefore, not by works. The Papists explain

1 Xgioras tori WayTa Tomy ey Duiv nat HOUT AY xo deorolwy: nO Td pey hyetregoy
Stanua vexeav torr. To 02 Exelvou Cn, xual xuCeova chy Cwnv neo. * It is Christ
who does and rules and governs all in you; and our will is dead, but his
will lives and directs our life.”—Theophylact.

2 « Car ce ne seroit point assez de considerer que Christ est mort pour
le salut du monde, si avec cela un chacun n’applique particulierement a sa
personne lefficace et jouissance de ceste grace.” “For it would not be
enough to consider that Christ died for the salvation of the world, unless
each individual specially apply to his own person the efficacy and enjoyment
of that grace.”

3 Awesay axrtdavs does not mean ‘in vain,’ ‘ uselessly,’ ‘ ineffectually,’ but
‘without just cause; for if righteousness be by the law, there was no
reason why he should die.”—Tittmann.

Ei yao artdavey 6 Xowrds, VOnrov O71 Did Td wr ioyver Tov vowov Hues Bixcu0dy*
el] 0 6 vomos Oixaiol, TeeiTTOs 6 TOV Xeiorod Idvaros. Wor if Christ died, it is
very evident that it was because the law was unable to justify us; and if
the law justifies us, the death of Christ was superfluous.”—Chrysostom.

CHAP. II, 2]. EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS, re

this in reference to the ceremonial law ; but who does not
see that it applies to the whole law? If we could produce
a righteousness of our own, then Christ has suffered in vain ;
for the intention of his sufferings was to procure it for us,
and what need was there that a work which we could ac-
complish for ourselves should be obtained from another? If
the death of Christ be our redemption, then we were cap-
tives ; if it be satisfaction, we were debtors ; if it be atone-
ment, we were guilty ; if it be cleansing, we were unclean.
On the contrary, he who ascribes to works his sanctification,
pardon, atonement, righteousness, or deliverance, makes
void the death of Christ.

This argument, we shall perhaps be told, is of no weight
against those who propose to unite the grace of Christ with
works ; which, it is universally admitted, was done by the
false apostles. The two doctrines, it is alleged, stand to-
gether, that righteousness is by the law, and that we are
redeemed by the death of Christ. True ; supposing it were
granted that a part of our righteousness is obtained by
works, and a part comes from grace. But such theology, it
may easily be proved, was unknown to Paul. His argument
with his opponents is either conclusive or inconclusive. If
any blasphemer shall dare to accuse him of bad reasoning, a
powerful defence is at hand; for that justification in the
sight of God of which he treats, is not what men may ima-
gine to be sufficient, but what is absolutely perfect.

But we are not now called to plead in behalf of Paul .
against blasphemers, who venture to speak in reproachful
language of the Holy Spirit himself. Our present business
is with the Papists. They ridicule us, when we argue with
Paul that, if righteousness come by works, Christ is dead in
vain. They imagine it to be a beautiful reply, with which
their sophists furnish them, that Christ merited for us the
first grace, that is, the opportunity of meriting ; and that
the merit of his death concurs with the satisfactions of works
for the daily pardon of sins. Let them ridicule Paul, whose
language we quote. They must refute him before they can
refute us. We know that he had to deal with men, who did
not entirely reject the grace of Christ, but ascribed the half

é

78 COMMENTARIES ON THE

of salvation to works.

CHAP. Ut. L.

In opposition to them he argues,

that “ if righteousness is by the law, then Christ is dead in

)

vain ;
one drop of righteousness.

and by so doing, he certainly does not allow to works
Between those men and the Pa-

pists there is no difference ; and therefore; in refuting them,
we are at liberty to employ Paul’s argument.

CHAPTER IIL

1. O foolish Galatians, who hath
bewitched you, that ye should not
obey the truth, before whose eyes
Jesus Christ hath been evidently set
forth, crucified among you?

2. This only would I learn of you,
Received ye the Spirit by the works
of the law, or by the hearing of
faith?

3. Are yeso foolish? having begun
in the Spirit, are ye now made per-
fect by the flesh ?

4. Have ye suffered so many
things in vain? if i¢ be yet in vain.

5. He therefore that ministereth
to you the Spirit, and worketh
miracles among you, doeth he it by
the works of the law, or by the
hearing of faith ?

1. O foolish Galatians.

1. Ostulti Galatz, quis vos fascina-
vit, ut non obediatis veritati? qui-
bus ante oculos Iesus Christus de-
pictus est inter vos crucifixus.

2. Hoe solum volo discere a vobis:
Ex operibus Legis Spiritum accepis-
tis, an ex preedicatione fidei?

3. Ita stulti estis, ut, exorsi a
Spiritu, nune carne consummemini ?

4. Tanta passi estis frustra? si
tamen etiam frustra.

5. Qui ergo subministrat vobis
Spiritum, et operatur in vobis vir-
tutes; ex operibus legis, an ex pre-
dicatione fidei id (facit) ?

An expostulation is here inter-

woven—I should rather say, inserted—amidst his doctrinal
statements. Some will wonder that he did not delay it to
the close of the Epistle, but the very serious nature of the
errors which he has brought forward unquestionably roused
him to a burst of passion. When we hear that the Son of
God, with all his benefits, is rejected, that his death is
esteemed as nothing, what pious mind would not break out
into indignation? We therefore declares that those who
allowed themselves to be involved in so heinous a crime
must have been avénros, that is, “disordered in mind.” He
accuses them not only of having suffered themselves to be

deceived, but of having been carried away by some sort of |

magical enchantment,’ which is a still more serious charge.

1 “ Bagxaivey, to enchant, to fascinate, to delude by magical charms,’

SS) ee ee

CHAP. TIT. 1. EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. 79

He insinuates that their fall partook more of madness than
of folly.

Some think that Paul refers to the temper of the nation,
that, being sprung from barbarians, it was more difficult to
train them ; but I rather think that he refers to the subject
itself. It looks like something supernatural, that, after
enjoying the gospel in such clearness, they should be affected
by the delusions of Satan. He does not merely say that they
were “bewitched” and “disordered in mind,” because they
did not obey the truth ; but because, after having received
instruction so clear, so full, so tender, and so powerful, they
immediately fell away. Erasmus has chosen to interpret the
words, “ that ye should not believe the truth.” I am not
quite prepared to set aside that rendering, but would prefer
the word obey, because Paul does not charge them with
having, from the outset, rejected the gospel, but with not
having persevered in obedience.

Before whose eyes. This is intended, as I have already
hinted, to express an aggravation ; for, the better opportu-
nities they had of knowing Christ, the more heinous was the
criminality of forsaking him. Such, he tells them, was the
clearness of his doctrine, that it was not naked doctrine, but
the express, living image of Christ."| They had known Christ
in such a manner, that they might be almost said to have
seen him.

Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth. Augustine’s

—rather an uncommon word, @7re% Asyouevev in the New Testament. It
may amuse to notice the ¢rvzey of the word. Some grammarians have
strangely thought it derived from ¢¢:a xaive, ‘to kill with the eyes.’ Its
true etymology obviously is, 62a, Bécxa, Barxndw, Pacnaive. Bacxw (equiva-
lent to ¢aécxm,) ‘to say, to speak,’ comes, in the form Becxeivw, to signify
zaxoroyeiv, *to calumniate,’ then ‘to deceive,’ then ‘to deceive by magical
arts.’ ”—Brown.

1 Kal wny obx tv rm Tararay KAO%, GAN by “IegaroAvuoss torauewn. Tas oby
Ono, ty Swiv; Tas riorsws dermvds chy ioydy nal r& Toppabev Suvapevns ogzv. Kal
ove tixsy, toraueabn, drAL, Teosyeun taravewmeyos, InAwyY OTI Tos THs TigTsms 6Pbar-
fois augiPeoregny edencay rav rugovray tviwy xal ra yivomeve Bewpivar, * Yet, it
was not in the country of the Galatians, but in Jerusalem, that he was
crucified. How, then, does he say, ‘Among you? To demonstrate the
power of faith, which is able to see even distant objects. And he does not
say, ‘ Was crucified,’ but ‘ Was painted crucified,’ shewing that by the eyes
of faith they beheld more distinctly than some who were present and saw
the transactions.”— Chrysostom.

80 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. II. |.

interpretation of the word mpoeypadn, (“hath been set
forth,”) is harsh, and inconsistent with Paul’s design. He
makes it to signify that Christ was to be thrust out from
possession. Others propose a different phrase, (proscriptus,)
which, if used in the sense of ‘openly proclaimed,” would
not be inapplicable. The Greeks, accordingly, borrow from
this verb the word rpoypaypara, to denote boards on which
property intended to be sold was published, so as to be ex-
posed to the view of all. But the participle, painted, is less
ambiguous, and, in my own opinion, is exceedingly appro-
priate. To shew how energetic his preaching was, Paul first
compares it to a picture, which exhibited to them, in a lively
manner, the image of Christ.

But, not satisfied with this comparison, he adds, Christ
hath been crucified among you, intimating that the actual
sight of Christ’s death could not have affected them more
powerfully than his own preaching. The view given by
some, that the Galatians had “crucified to themselves (Heb.
vi. 6) the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame ;”
that they had withdrawn from the purity of the gospel ; or,
at least, had lent their ear, and given their confidence, to
impostors who crucified him,—appears to me overstrained.
The meaning therefore is, that Paul’s doctrine had instructed
them concerning Christ in such a manner as if he had been
exhibited to them in a picture, nay, “ crucified among them.”
Such a representation could not have been made by any
eloquence, or by ‘‘ enticing words of man’s wisdom,” (1 Cor.
ii. 4,) had it not been accompanied by that power of the
Spirit, of which Paul has treated largely in both the Epistles
to the Corinthians.

Let those who would discharge aright the ministry of the
gospel learn, not merely to speak and declaim, but to pene-
trate into the consciences of men, to make them see Christ
crucified, and feel the shedding of his blood.1. When the
Church has painters such as these, she no longer needs the
dead images of wood and stone, she no longer requires pic-

1 «Display the sufferings of Christ like one who was an eye-witness of
those sufferings, and hold up the blood, the precious blood of atonement,
as issuing warm from the cross.”— Robert Hall.

Se

CHAP. III. 2. EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. 8l

tures ; both of which, unquestionably, were first admitted
to Christian temples when the pastors had become dumb and
been converted into mere idols, or when they uttered a few
words from the pulpit in such a cold and careless manner,
that the power and efficacy of the ministry were utterly ex-
tinguished.

2. This only I wish to learn from you. He now proceeds
to support his cause by additional arguments. The first is
drawn from their experience, for he reminds them in what
manner the gospel was introduced among themselves.
When they heard the gospel, they received the Spirit. It
was not to the law, therefore, but to faith, that they owed
the reception of this benefit. This same argument is
employed by Peter in the defence which he makes to his
brethren for having baptized uncircumcised persons. (Acts
x. 47.) Paul and Barnabas followed the same course in the
debate which they maintained at Jerusalem on this subject.
(Acts xv. 2,12.) There was therefore manifest ingratitude
in not submitting to the doctrine, by means of which they
had received the Holy Spirit. The opportunity which he
gives them to reply is expressive not of doubt, but of greater
confidence: for their convictions, founded on their own
experience, forced them to acknowledge that it was true.

Faith is here put, by a figure of speech, for the gospel,
which is elsewhere called “the law of faith,” (Rom. iii. 27,)
because it exhibits to us the free grace of God in Christ,
without any merit of works. Zhe Spirit means here, I think,
the grace of regeneration, which is common to all believers ;
though I have no objection to understand it as referring to
the peculiar gifts by which the Lord, at that period, honoured
the preaching of the gospel.’

It may be objected, that the Spirit was not, in this respect,
given toall. But it was enough for Paul’s purpose, that the
Galatians knew that the power of the Holy Spirit in his

1 «Did ye receive that Spirit which was the fullest evidence of your
being justified, accepted, and received as the children and people of God,
by conformity to the law of Moses, or by embracing the doctrine of the
gospel? If by embracing the doctrine of the gospel, then you became jus-

tified by embracing that doctrine, and consequently need not conform to
the law of Moses, in order to obtain justitication.”—Chandler,

F

fas

82 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. III, 4.

Church had accompanied Paul’s doctrine, and that believers
were variously endowed with the gifts of the Spirit for
general edification. It may likewise be objected, that those
gifts were not infallible signs of adoption, and so do not
apply to the present question. Ireply, that it was enough
that the Lord had confirmed the doctrine of Paul by the
visible gifts of his Spirit. A still simpler view of the case
is, that they had been distinguished by the ordinary privi-
lege of adoption, before those impostors had brought forward
their additions. “In whom,” says he to the Ephesians,
“ve also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the
gospel of your salvation; in whom also, after that ye Bee
lieved, ye were sealed ah that Holy — of promise.”
eae i. *Dd:)

3. Are ye so foolish? Commentators are not agreed as
to what he means by the Spirit and by the flesh. He alludes,
in my opinion, to what he had said about the Spirit. As if
he had said, ‘“ As the doctrine of the gospel brought to you
the Holy Spirit, the commencement of your course. was
spiritual ; but now ye have fallen into a worse condition,
and may be said to have fallen from the Spirit into the
flesh.” The flesh denotes either outward and fading things,
such as ceremonies are, particularly when they are separated
from Christ ; or it denotes dead and fading doctrine. There
was a strange inconsistency between ae splendid com-
mencement and their future progress.

4. Have ye suffered so many things? This is another
argument. Having suffered so many things in behalf of the
gospel, would they now, m an instant, lose it all? Nay, he
puts it in the way of reproach, if they were willing to lose the
advantage of so many illustrious struggles which they had
made for the faith. If the true faith had not been delivered
to them by Paul, it was rash to suffer anything in defence
of a bad cause; but they had experienced the presence of
God amidst their persecutions. Accordingly, he charges the
false apostles with ill-will in depriving the Galatians of such
valuable ornaments.. But to mitigate the severity of this
complaint, he adds, ¢f it be yet in vain ; thus inspiring their
minds with the expectation of something better, and rous-

eee a) a ee

i

oe,
mort:

2 POL ST

‘
é

CHAP. III. 6, EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. 83
ing them to the exercise of repentance. For the intention
of all chastisement is, not to drive men to despair, but to
lead them to a better course.

5. He therefore that ministereth. He is not now speaking
of the grace of regeneration, but of the other gifts of the
Spirit ; for a subject different from the preceding one is
manifestly introduced. He warns them that all the gifts
of the Holy Spirit, in which they excelled, are the fruits of
the gospel, of that gospel which had been preached among
them by his own lips. Their new teachers deprived them
of those gifts when they left the gospel, and fled to another
kind of doctrine. In proportion to the value which they
attached to those gifts, to which the apostle here adds
miracles, they ought the more carefully and resolutely to
adhere to the gospel.

6. Even as Abraham believed God, 6. Quemadmodum Abraham cre-
and it was accounted tohimforright- didit Deo, et imputatum est illi in
eousness. justitiam. (Gen. xv. 6; Rom. iv.
ag one. 1. yo.)

7. Know ye therefore, that they
which are of faith, the same are the
children of Abraham.

8. And the scripture, foreseeing
that God would justify the heathen
through faith, preached before the
gospel unto Abraham, saying, In
thee shall all nations be blessed.

9. So then they which be of faith
are blessed with faithful Abraham.

7. Cognoscite ergo, quod qui ex
fide sunt, ii sunt filii Abrahe.

8. Scriptura autem, quia preevi-
debat, quod ex fide justificet Deus
Gentes, ante evangelizavit Abrahe :
In te benedicentur omnes Gentes.
(Gen. xxii. 18.)

9. Itaque qui ex fide sunt, bene-
dicuntur cum fideli Abraham.

Having appealed to facts and experience, he now gives
quotations from Scripture. And first, he brings forward the
example of Abraham. Arguments drawn from examples
are not always so conclusive, but this is one of the most
powerful, because neither in the subject nor in the person is
‘there any ground of exception. There is no variety of roads
to righteousness, and so Abraham is called “the father of
all them that believe,” (Rom. iv. 11,) because he is a pattern
adapted to all; nay, in his person has been laid down to us
the universal rule for obtaining righteousness.

6. Even as Abraham. We must here supply some such
phrase as but rather; for, having put a question, he resolved
instantly to cut off every ground of hesitation. At least,

84 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. III. 6.

the phrase “even as,” (kaws,) refers only to the verse imme-
diately preceding, to the “ ministration of the Spirit and of
miracles by the hearing of faith ;’ as if he had said, that, in
the grace bestowed on them, a similarity might be found to
the case of Abraham.

Believed God. By this quotation he proves both here, and
in the 4th chapter of the Epistle to the Romans, that men
are justified by faith, because the faith of Abraham was ac-
counted to him for righteousness. (Rom. iv. 3.) We must
here inquire briefly, first, what Paul intends by faith ;
secondly, what is righteousness ; and thirdly, why faith is
represented to be a cause of justification. Faith does not
mean any kind of conviction which men may have of the
truth of God; for though Cain had a hundred times exer-
cised faith in God when denouncing punishment against
him, this had nothing to do with obtaining righteousness.
Abraham was justified by believing, because, when he re-
ceived from God a promise of fatherly kindness, he embraced
it as certain. Faith therefore has a relation and respect to
such a divine promise as may enable men to place their trust
and confidence in God.

As to the word righteousness, we must attend to the
phraseology of Moses. When he says, that “he believed in
the Lord, and he counted it to him for righteousness,” (Gen.
xv. 6,) he intimates that that person is righteous who is
reckoned as such in the sight of God. Now, since men have
not righteousness dwelling within themselves, they obtain
this by imputation ; because God holds their faith as ac-
counted for righteousness. We are therefore said to be “justi-
fied by faith,” (Rom. iii. 28; v. 1,) not because faith infuses
into us a habit or quality, but because we are accepted by God.

But why does faith receive such honour as to be entitled
a cause of our justification? First, we must observe, that
it is merely an instrumental cause; for, strictly speaking,
our righteousness is nothing else than God’s free acceptance
of us, on which our salvation is founded. But as the Lord
testifies his love and grace in the gospel, by offering to us
that righteousness of which I have spoken, so we receive it
by faith. And thus, when we ascribe to faith a man’s justi-

CHAP. III. 6. EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. 85

fication, we are not treating of the principal cause, but
merely pointing out the way in which men arrive at true
righteousness. For this righteousness is not a quality which
exists in men, but is the mere gift of God, and is enjoyed
by faith only; and not even as a reward justly due to faith,
but because we receive by faith what God freely gives. All
such expressions as the following are of similar import : We
are “justified freely by his grace.” (Rom. iii. 24.) Christ
is our righteousness. The mercy of God is the cause of our
righteousness. By the death and resurrection of Christ,
righteousness has been procured for us. Righteousness is
bestowed on us through the gospel. We obtain righteous-
ness by faith.

Hence appears the ridiculousness of the blunder of attempt-
ing to reconcile the two propositions, that we are justified by
faith, and that we are justified at the same time by works ;
for he who is “ just by faith” (Hab. ii. 4; Heb. x. 38) is
poor and destitute of personal righteousness, and relies on
the grace of God alone. And this is the reason why Paul,
in the Epistle to the Romans, concludes that Abraham,
having obtained righteousness by faith, had no right to glory
before God. (Rom. iv. 2.) For it is not said that faith was
imputed to him for a part of righteousness, but simply for
righteousness ; so that his faith was truly his righteousness.
Besides, faith looks at nothing but the mercy of God, and a
dead and risen Christ. All merit of works is thus excluded
from being the cause of justification, when the whole is
ascribed to faith. For faith,—so far as it embraces the
undeserved goodness of God, Christ with all his benefits, the
testimony of our adoption which is contained in the gospel,
—is universally contrasted with the law, with the merit of
works, and with human excellence. The notion of the so-
phists, that it is contrasted with ceremonies alone, will pre-
sently be disproved, with little difficulty, from the context.
Let us therefore remember, that those who are righteous by
faith, are righteous out of themselves, that is, in Christ.

Hence, too, we obtain a refutation of the idle cavilling of
certain persons who evade Paul’s reasoning. Moses, they
tell us, gives the name of righteousness to goodness ; and so

86 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. 1.6.

means nothing more than that Abraham was reckoned a
good man, because he believed God. Giddy minds of this
description, raised up in our time by Satan, endeavour, by
indirect slanders, to undermine the certainty of Scripture.
Paul knew that Moses was not there giving lessons to boys
in grammar, but was speaking of a decision which God had
pronounced, and very properly viewed the word righteousness
in a theological sense. For it is not in that sense in which
goodness is mentioned with approbation among men, that
we are accounted righteous in the sight of God, but only
where we render perfect obedience to the law. Righteous-
ness is contrasted with the transgression of the law, even in
its smallest point; and because we have it not from our-
selves, it is freely given to us by God.

But here the Jews object that Paul has completely tor-
tured the words of Moses to suit his own purpose; for Moses
does not here treat of Christ, or of eternal life, but only
mentions an earthly inheritance. The Papists are not very
different from the Jews; for, though they do not venture to
inveigh against Paul, they entirely evade his meaning. Paul,
we reply, takes for granted, what Christians hold to be a
first principle, that whatever promises the Lord made to
Abraham were appendages of that first promise, “I am thy
shield, and thy exceeding great reward.” (Gen. xv. 1.) When
Abraham received the promise, “ In multiplying I will mul-
tiply thy seed as the stars of the heavens, and as the sand
which is upon the sea-shore,” (Gen. xxii. 17,) he did not limit
his view to that word, but included it in the grace of adop-
tion as a part of the whole, and, in the same manner, every
other promise was viewed by him as a testimony of God’s
fatherly kindness, which tended to strengthen his hope of
salvation. Unbelievers differ from the children of God in
this respect, that, while they enjoy in common with them
the bounties of Providence, they devour them like cattle,
and look no higher. The children of God, on the other
hand, knowing that all their blessings have been sanctified
by the promises, acknowledge God in them as their Father.
They are often directed, in this way, to the hope of eternal
life; for they begin with the faith of their adoption, which

CHAP. III. 8. EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. i
is the foundation of the whole. Abraham was not justified
merely because he believed that God would “ multiply his
seed,” (Gen. xxii. 17,) but because he embraced the grace of
God, trusting to the promised Mediator, in whom, as Paul
elsewhere declares, “all the promises of God are yea and
amen.” (2 Cor. i. 20.)

7. Know ye therefore, or, ye know; for both readings are
equally agreeable to the Greek termination ywooxere. But
it matters little which is preferred, for the meaning is the
same, only that the old translation, (know ye,) which I have
followed, is more energetic.’ He says that those “are of
faith,’ who have relinquished all confidence in works, and
rely on the promise of God alone. It is on the authority of
Paul himself that we give this interpretation; for in the
Epistle to the Romans he thus writes: “To him that work-
eth is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But
to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth
the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness.” (Rom.
iy. 4,5.) To be of faith, therefore, is to rest their righteous-
ness and hope of salvation on the mercy of God. That such
are the children of God he concludes from the preceding
statement ; for if Abraham was justified by faith, those who
wish to be his children must likewise abide firmly by faith.
He has omitted one remark, which will be readily supplied,
that there is no place in the church for any man who is not
a son of Abraham.

8. The scripture foreseeing. What he had said in a general
manner is now applied expressly to the Gentiles; for the
calling of the Gentiles was a new and extraordinary occur-
rence. Doubts existed as to the manner in which they should
be called. Some thought that they were required “to be
circumcised and to keep the law,’ (Acts xv. 24,) and that
otherwise they were shut out from having a share in the
covenant. But Paul shews, on the other hand, that by faith
they arrive at the blessing, and by faith they must be “ in-

* « The scope of the passage shews that yiwacxere is not the Indicative,
but the Imperative. Paul does not presuppose that the Galatians ac-
knowledge this principle; he is exerting himself to convince them of it.”—
Brown.

88 cHAP. 111. 10.

COMMENTARIES ON THE
grafted” (Rom. xi. 17, 24) into the family of Abraham. How
does he prove this? Because it is said, Jn thee shall all na-
tions be blessed. These words unquestionably mean that all
must be blessed in the same manner as Abraham ; for he is
the model, nay, the rule, to be universally observed. Now,
he obtained the blessing by faith, and in the same manner
must it be obtained by all.

9. Faithful Abraham. This expression is very emphatic.
They are blessed, not with Abraham as circumcised, nor as
entitled to boast of the works of the law, nor as a Hebrew,
nor as relying on his own excellence, but with Abraham,
who by faith alone obtained the blessing; for no personal
quality is here taken into the account, but faith alone. The
word blessing is variously employed in Scripture: but here

it signifies Adoption into the inheritance of eternal life.

10. For as many as are of the
works of the law are under the curse:
for it is written, Cursed is every one
that continueth not in all things
which are written in the book of the
law to do them.

11. But that no man is justified
by the law in the sight of God, it is
evident: for, The just shall live by
faith.

12. And the law is not of faith:
but, The man that doeth them shall
live in them.

13. Christ hath redeemed us from
the curse of the law, being made a
curse for us: for it is written, Cursed
is every one that hangeth on a tree:

14. That the blessing of Abraham
might come on the Gentiles through
Jesus Christ; that we might receive
the promise of the Spirit through
faith.

10. Quicunque enim ex operibus
Legis sunt, sub maledictione sunt.
Scriptum est enim (Deut. xxvii. 26):
Maledictus omnis, qui non permanet
in omnibus, que scripta sunt in libro
Legis, ut faciat ea.

11. Quod autem im Lege nemo
justificetur apud Deum, patet, quia
justus ex fide vivet. (Habac. ii. 4;
Rom. 1. 17; Heb. x. 38.)

12. Lex autem non est ex fide,
sed, Qui fecerit hee homo, vivet in
ipsis. (Ley. xviii. 5.)

13. Christus nos redemit a male-
dictione Legis, factus pro nobis male-
dictio: (scriptum est enim, male-
dictus omnis qui pependerit in ligno,
(Deut. xxi. 23,)

14. Ut in Gentes benedictio Ab-
rahee perveniat per Christum Jesum;
quo promissionem Spiritus accipia-
mus per fidem.

10. For as many as are of the works of the law. The

argument is drawn from the contradictory nature of the two
schemes ; for the same fountain does not yield both hot and
cold. The law holds all living men under its curse; and
from the law, therefore, it is in vain to expect a blessing.
They are declared to be of the works of the law who place

CHAP. III. LI. EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. 89

their trust for salvation in those works; for such modes of
expression must always be interpreted by the state of the
question. Now, we know that the controversy here relates
to righteousness. All who wish to be justified by the works
of the law are declared to be liable to the curse. But how
does he prove this? The sentence of the law is, that all
who have transgressed any part of the law are cursed. Let
us now see if there be any living man who fulfils the law.
But no such person, it is evident, has been, or ever can be
found. All to a man are here condemned. The minor and
the conclusion are wanting, for the entire syllogism would
run thus: “ Whoever has come short in any part of the law
is cursed; all are held chargeable with this guilt ; therefore
all are cursed.” This argument of Paul would not stand, if
we had sufficient strength to fulfil the law; for there would
then be a fatal objection to the minor proposition. Either
Paul reasons badly, or it is impossible for men to fulfil the
law. .

An antagonist might now object: “I admit that all trans-
gressors are accursed; what then? Men will be found who
keep the law; for they are free to choose good or evil.” But
Paul places here beyond controversy, what the Papists at
this day hold to be a detestable doctrine, that men are des-
titute of strength to keep the law. And so he concludes
boldly that all are cursed, because all have been commanded
to keep the law perfectly ; which implies that in the present
corruption of our nature the power of keeping it perfectly is
wanting. Hence we conclude that the curse which the law
pronounces, though, in the phrase of logicians, it is acciden-
tal, is here perpetual and inseparable from its nature. The
blessing which it offers to us is excluded by our depravity,
so that the curse alone remains.

li. But that no man is justified by the law. He again
argues from a comparison of contradictory schemes. “If we
are justified by faith, it is not by the law: but we are justi-
fied by faith, therefore it is not by the law.” The minor is
proved by a passage from Habakkuk, which is also quoted
in the Epistle to the Romans. (Hab. ii. 4; Rom. i. 17.)
The major is proved by the difference in the methods of

90 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. III. 12.

justification. The law justifies him who fulfils all its pre-
cepts, while faith justifies those who are destitute of the
merit of works, and who rely on Christ alone. To be jus-
tified by our own merit, and to be justified by the grace of
another, are two schemes which cannot be reconciled: one
of them must be overturned by the other. Such is the
amount of the argument: let us now attend to the separate
clauses.

The just shall live by faith. As we had occasion to ex-
pound this passage where it occurs in the Epistle to the
Romans, it will be unnecessary to repeat the exposition of
it here. The prophet evidently describes a proud confidence
in the flesh as contrasted with true faith. He declares, that
“ the just shall live ;” by which he means, not that they are
supported for a short period, and liable to be overwhelmed
by an approaching storm; but that they shall continue to
live, and that, even amidst the most imminent danger, their
life shall be preserved. There is therefore no weight in
the scornful reproaches of our adversaries, who allege that
the prophet there employs the word Faith in a wider accep-
tation than Paul does in this passage. By Faith he evidently
means the exercise of a calm, steady conscience, relying on
God alone; so that Paul’s quotation is properly applied.

12. And the law 1s not of faith. The law evidently is not
contrary to faith ; otherwise God would be unlike himself ;
but we must return to a principle already noticed, that Paul’s
language is modified by the present aspect of the case. The
contradiction between the law and faith lies in the matter
of justification. You will more easily unite fire and water,
than reconcile these two statements, that men are justified
by faith, and that they are justified by the law. “ The law
is not of faith ;” that is, it has a method of justifying a man
which is wholly at variance with faith.

But the man who shall do these things. The difference lies
in this, that man, when he fulfils the law, is reckoned righteous
by a legal righteousness, which he proves by a quotation
from Moses. (Ley. xviii. 5.) Now, what is the righteousness
of faith ? He defines it in the Epistle to the Romans, “ If
thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt

CHAP. Il. 13. EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. 91

believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the
dead, thou shalt be saved.” (Rom. x. 9.)

And yet it does not follow from this, that faith is inactive,
or that it sets believers free from good works. For the pre-
sent question is not, whether believers ought to keep the
law as far as they can, (which is beyond all doubt,) but
whether they can obtain righteousness by works, which is
impossible. But since God promises life to the doers of the
law, why does Paul affirm that they are not righteous? The
reply to this objection is easy. There are none righteous
by the works of the law, because there are none who do those
works. We admit that the doers of the law, if there were
any such, are righteous; but since that is a conditional
agreement, all are excluded from life, because no man per-
forms that righteousness which he ought. We must bear in
memory what I have already stated, that to do the law is
not to obey it in part, but to fulfil everything which belongs
to righteousness ; and all are at the greatest distance from
such perfection.

13. Christ hath redeemed us. The apostle had made all
who are under the law subject to the curse; from which
arose this great difficulty, that the Jews could not free
themselves from the curse of the law. Having stated this
difficulty, he meets it, by shewing that Christ hath made us
free, which still farther aids his purpose. If we are saved,
because we have been freed from the curse of the law, then
righteousness is not by the law. He next points out the
manner in which we are made free.

It is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree.
Now, Christ hung upon the cross, therefore he fell under
that curse. But it is certain that he did not suffer that
punishment on his own account. It follows, therefore, either
that he was crucified in vain, or that our curse was laid upon
him, in order that we might be delivered from it. Now, he
does not say that Christ was cursed, but, which is still more,
that he was a curse,—intimating, that the curse “ of all
men! was laid upon him.” (Isa. li. 6.) If any man think
this language harsh, let him be ashamed of the cross of

1 «¢ Ta malediction de tous hommes.”

92 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP.III. 14.

Christ, in the confession of which we glory. It was not un-
known to God what death his own Son would die, when he
pronounced the law, “ He that is hanged is accursed of
God.” (Deut. xxi. 23.)

But how does it happen, it will be asked, that a beloved
Son is cursed by his Father? We reply, there are two things
which must be considered, not only in the person of Christ,
but even in his human nature. The one is, that he was the
unspotted Lamb of God, full of blessing and of grace ; the
other is, that he placed himself in our room, and thus became
a sinner, and subject to the curse, not in himself indeed,
but in us, yet in such a manner, that it became necessary
for him to occupy our place. He could not cease to be the
object of his Father’s love, and yet he endured his wrath.
For how could he reconcile the Father to us, if he had in-
curred his hatred and displeasure? We conclude, that he
“ did always those things that pleased” (John viii. 29) his
Father. Again, how would he have freed us from the wrath
of God, if he had not transferred it from us to himself?
Thus, “ he was wounded for our transgressions,” (Isa. liii. 5,)
and had to deal with God as an angry judge. This is the
foolishness of the cross, (1 Cor. i. 18,) and the admiration of
angels, (1 Pet. i. 12,) which not only exceeds, but swallows
up, all the wisdom of the world.

14. That the blessing of Abraham. WHaving said that
“ Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law,” he
now applies that statement more closely to his purpose. The
promised blessing of Abraham is founded on this, and flows
from it to the Gentiles. Ifthe Jews must be delivered from
the law, in order to become the heirs of Abraham, what shall
hinder the Gentiles from obtaining the same benefit? And
if that blessing is found in Christ alone, it is faith in Christ
which alone brings it into our possession.

The promise of the Spirit appears to me to mean, agree-
ably to a Hebrew idiom, a spiritual promise. Although that
promise relates to the New Testament, “ I will pour out my
Spirit upon all flesh,” (Joel ii. 28,) yet, in this passage, Paul
refers to another subject. The spirit is here contrasted with
all outward things, not with ceremonies merely, but with

CHAP. III. 15. EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. 93
lineal descent, so as to leave no room for diversity of rank.
From the nature of the promise, he proves that Jews differ

1ing from Gentiles ; a if it is spiri it is re-
nothing fi Gentiles ; because, if it is spiritual, it is re

ceived by faith alone.

15. Brethren, I speak after the
manner of men; Though it be but a
man’s covenant, yet if it be confirm-
ed, no man disannulleth, or addeth
thereto.

16. Now to Abraham and his
seed were the promises made. He
saith not, And to seeds, as of many ;
but as of one, And to thy seed, which
is Christ.

17. And this I say, that the cove-
nant, that was confirmed before of
God in Christ, the law, which was
four hundred and thirty years after,
cannot disannul, that it should make
the promise of none effect.

18. For if the inheritance be of
the law, i¢ is no more of promise:
but God gave it to Abraham by pro-
mise.

15. Fratres, (secundum hominem
dico) Hlominis licet pactum, tamen
si sit comprobatum, nemo rejicit aut
addit aliquid.

16. Porro Abrahee dicte sunt pro-
missiones, et seminiejus. Non dicit,
Et seminibus, tanquam de multis,
sed tanquam de uno, Et semini tuo,
qui est Christus.

17. Hoc autem dico: pactum ante
comprobatum a Deo erga Christum,
Lex, quee post annos quadringentos
et triginta ccepit, non facit irritum,
ut abroget Promissionem.

18. Nam si ex Lege hereditas,
non jam ex Promissione ; atqui
Abrahe per Promissionem donavit
Deus.

15. I speak after the manner of men. By this expression
he intended to put them to the blush. It is highly disgrace-
ful and base that the testimony of God should have less
weight with us than that of a mortal man. In demanding
that the sacred covenant of God shall receive not less defer-
ence than is commonly yielded to ordinary human transac-
tions, he does not place God on a level with men. The im-
mense distance between God and men is still left for their
consideration.

Though it be but a man’s covenant. This is an argument
from the less to the greater. Human contracts are admitted
on all hands to be binding : how much more what God has
established? The Greek word Ssa@7«n, here used, signifies
more frequently, what the Latin versions here render it,
(testamentum,) a testament ; but sometimes too, a covenant,
though in this latter sense the plural number is more gene-
rally employed. It is of little importance to the present
passage, whether you explain it covenant or testament. The
ease is different with the Epistle to the Hebrews, where the
apostle unquestionably alludes to testaments, (Heb. ix. 16,

94 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. 111. 16.

17 ;) but here I prefer to take it simply for the covenant
which God made. The analogy from which the apostle
argues, would not apply so strictly to a testament as to a
covenant. The apostle appears to reason from human bar-
gains to that solemn covenant into which God entered with
Abraham. If human bargains be so firm that they can re-
ceive no addition, how much more must this covenant remain
inviolable ?

16. Now to Abraham and his seed. Before pursuing his
argument, he introduces an observation about the substance
of the covenant, that it rests on Christ alone. But if Christ
be the foundation of the bargain, it follows that it is of free
grace; and this too is the meaning of the word promise. As
the law has respect to men and to their works, so the pro-
mise has respect to the grace of God and to faith.

He saith not, And to seeds. To prove that in this place
God speaks of Christ, he calls attention to the singular
number as denoting some particular seed. I have often
been astonished that Christians, when they saw this passage
so perversely tortured by the Jews, did not make a more
determined resistance ; for all pass it slightly as if it were
an indisputed territory. ‘And yet there is much-plausibility
in their objection. Since'the word seed is a collective noun,
Paul appears to reason inconclusively, when he contends
that a single individual is denoted by this word, under which
all the descendants of Abraham are comprehended in a
passage already quoted, “ In multiplying I will multiply :thy

seed, YN, (zérding,) or WW, (edérgnicha,) as the stars of the

heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea-shore.” (Gen.
xxii. 17.) Having, as they imagine, detected the fallacy of
the argument, they treat us with haughty triumph.

I am the more surprised that our own writers should have
been silent on this head, as we have abundant means of re-
pelling their slander. Among Abraham’s own sons a division
began, for one of the sons was cut off from the family. “In
Isaac shall thy seed be called.” (Gen. xxi. 12.) Conse-
quently Ishmael is not included in the reckoning. Let us
come a step lower. Do the Jews allow that the posterity of
Esau are the blessed seed? nay, it will be maintained that

CHAP. III, 16. EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. 95

their father, though the first-born, was struck off. And how
many nations have sprung from the stock of Abraham who
have no share in this “ calling?” he twelve patriarchs, at
length, formed twelve heads; not because they were de-
scended from the line of Abraham, but because they had
been appointed by a particular election of God. Since the
ten tribes were carried away, (Hos. ix. 17,) how many thou-
sands have so degenerated that they no longer hold a name
among the seed of Abraham? Lastly, a trial was made of
the tribe of Judah, that the real succession to the blessing
might be transmitted among a small people. And this had
been predicted by Isaiah, ‘Though thy people Israel be as
the sand of the sea, yet a remnant of them shall return.”
(Isa. x..22.)

Hitherto I have said nothing which the Jews themselves
do not acknowledge. Let them answer me then; how comes
it that the thirteen tribes sprung from the twelve patriarchs
were the seed of Abraham, in preference to Ishmaelites and
Edomites ? Why do they exclusively glory in that name,
and set aside the others as a spurious seed? They will, no
doubt, boast that they have obtained it by their own merit ;
but Scripture, on the contrary, asserts that all depends on
the calling of God; for we must constantly return to the
privilege conveyed in these words, “ In Isaac shall thy seed
be called.” (Gen. xxi. 12.) The uninterrupted succession
to this privilege must have been in force until Christ ; for,
in the person of David, the Lord afterwards brought back
by recovery, as we might say, the promise which had been
made to Abraham. In proving, therefore, that this predic-
tion applies to a single individual, Paul does not make his
argument rest on the use of the singular number. He
merely shews that the word seed must denote one who was
not only descended from Abraham according to the flesh, but
had been likewise appointed for this purpose by the calling
of God. If the Jews deny this, they will only make them-
selves ridiculous by their obstinacy.

But as Paul likewise argues from these words, that a co-
venant had been made in Christ, or to Christ, let us inquire
into the force of that expression, “ In thy seed shall all the

96 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. Itt. 17.

nations of the earth be blessed.” (Gen. xxii. 18.) The
Jews taunt the apostle with making a comparison, as if the
seed of Abraham were to be quoted as an example in all
disastrous omens and prayers; while, on the contrary, to
curse in Sodom or Israel is to employ the name of Sodom or
Israel in forms of cursing. This, I own, is sometimes the
case, but not always ; for to bless one’s self in God has quite
a different meaning, as the Jews themselves admit. Since,
therefore, the phrase is ambiguous, denoting sometimes a
cause and sometimes a comparison, wherever it occurs, it
must be explained by the context. We have ascertained,
then, that we are all cursed by nature, and that the blessing
of Abraham has been promised to all nations. Do all indis-
criminately reach it ? Certainly not, but those only who are
“gathered” (Isa. lvi. 8) to the Messiah ; for when, under his
government and direction, they are collected into one body,
they then become one people. Whoever then, laying disput-
ing aside, shall inquire into the truth, will readily acknow-
ledge that the words here signify not a mere comparison but
a cause; and hence it follows that Paul had good ground for
saying, that the covenant was made in Christ, or in refer-
ence to Christ.

17. The law which was four hundred and thirty years
after. If we listen to Origen and Jerome and all the
Papists, there will be little difficulty in refuting this argu-
ment. Paul reasons thus: ‘“ A promise was given to Abra-
ham four hundred and thirty years before the publication of
the law ; therefore the law which came after could not dis-
annul the promise ; and hence he concludes that ceremonies
are not necessary.” But it may be objected, the sacraments
were given in order to preserve the faith, and why should
Paul separate them from the promise? He does so separate
them, and proceeds to argue on the matter. ‘The ceremonies
themselves are not so much considered by him as something
higher,—the effect of justification which was attributed to
them by false apostles, and the obligation on the conscience.
From ceremonies, accordingly, he takes occasion to discuss
the whole subject of faith and works. If the point in dis-
pute had no connection with obtaining righteousness, with

<a
?

ouaP. 111. 17. EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. 97

the merit of works, or with ensnaring the conscience, cere-
monies would be quite consistent with the promise.

What, then, is meant by this disannuliing of the promise,
against which the apostle contends? The impostors denied
that salvation is freely promised to men, and received by
faith, and, as we shall presently see, urged the necessity of
works in order to merit salvation. I return to Paul’s own
language. “The law,” he says, “is later than the promise, and
therefore does not revoke it ; for a covenant once sanctioned
must remain perpetually binding.” Jagain repeat, if you do
not understand that the promise is free, there will be no

‘force in the statement; for the law and the promise are not
at variance but on this single point, that the law justifies a
man by the merit of works, and the promise bestows right-
eousness freely. ‘This is made abundantly clear when he
calls it a covenant founded on Christ.

But here we shall have the Papists to oppose us, for they
will find a ready method of evading this argument. “ We
do not require,” they will say, “that the old ceremonies
shall be any longer binding ; let them be laid out of the
question ; nevertheless a man is justified by the moral law.
For this law, which is as old as the creation of man, went
before God’s covenant with Abraham ; so that Paul’s rea-
soning is either frivolous, or it holds against ceremonies
alone.’ I answer, Paul took into account what was cer-
tainly true, that, except by a covenant with God, no reward
is due to works. Admitting, then, that the law justifies,
yet before the law men could not merit salvation by works,
because there was no covenant. All that I am now affirm-
ing is granted by the scholastic theologians: for they main-
tain that works are meritorious of salvation, not by their
intrinsic worth, but by the acceptance of God, (to use their
own phrase,) and on the ground of a covenant. Consequently,
where no divine covenant, no declaration of acceptance is
found,-—no works will be available for justification : so that
Paul’s argument is perfectly conclusive. He tells us that
God made two covenants with men ; one through Abraham,
and another through Moses. The former, being founded on
Christ, was free ; and therefore the law, which came after,

G

98 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. 111. 18.
could not enable men to obtain salvation otherwise than by
grace, for then, “it would make the promise of none effect.”
That this is the meaning appears clearly from what imme-
diately follows.

18. If the inheritance be of the law. His opponents might
still reply, that nothing was farther from their intention
than to weaken or disannul God’s covenant. To deprive
them of every kind of subterfuge; he comes forward with the
assertion, that salvation by the law, and salvation by the
promise of God, are wholly inconsistent with each other.
Who will dare to explain this as applying to ceremonies
alone, while Paul comprehends under it whatever interferes
with a free promise? Beyond all doubt, he excludes works
of every description. ‘For,’ says he to the Romans, “if
they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and
the promise made of none effect.” (Rom. iv. 14.) Why so?
Because salvation would be suspended on the condition of
satisfying the law ; and so he immediately concludes:
“Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace, in order
that the promise might be sure to all the seed.” (Rom. iv.
16.) Let us carefully remember the reason why, in com-
paring the promise with the law, the establishment of the
one overturns the other. The reason is, that the promise
has respect to faith, and the law to works. Faith receives
what is freely given, but to works a reward is paid. And he
immediately adds, God gave tt to Abraham, not by requiring
some sort of compensation on his part, but by free promise ;
for if you view it as conditional, the word gave, (keyapuorat,)
would be utterly inapplicable.

19. Wherefore then serveth the
law? It was added because of
transgressions, till the seed should
come to whom the promise was
made; and it was ordained by
angels in the hand of a mediator.

20. Now a mediator is not @
mediator of one; but God is one.

21. Js the law then against the
promises of God? God forbid: for
if there had been a law given which
could have given life, verily right-
eousness should have been by the law.

19. Quid igitur Lex? transgres-
sionum causa adjuncta fuit, donec
veniret semen, cul promissum fuerat,
ordinata per angelos in manu me-
diatoris.

20. Porro mediator unius non est;
Deus autem unus est.

21. Lexne igitur adversus pro-
missiones Dei? absit; nam si data
esset Tex, que posset vivificare,
vere ex Lege esset justitia.

CHAP. III. 19. EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. 99

22. But the scripture hath con- 22. Sed conclusit Scriptura omnia
cluded all under sin, that the pro- sub peccatum, ut promissio ex fide
mise by faith of Jesus Christ might Iesu Christi daretur credentibus.
be given to them that believe.

When we are told that the law has no influence in obtain-
ing justification, various suggestions immediately arise, that
it must be either useless, or opposed to God’s covenant, or \
something of that sort. Nay, it might occur, why should
we not say of the law, what Jeremiah says of the New Tes-
tament, (Jer. xxxi. 31,) that it was given at a later period,
in order to supply the weakness of the former doctrine? Ob-
jections of this kind must be answered, if Paul wished to
satisfy the Galatians. First, then, he inquires,—what is the
use of the law? Having come after the promise, it appears
to have been intended to supply its defects ; and there was |

<

room at least for doubting, whether the promise would have |

been effectual, if it had not been aided by the law. Let it
be observed, that Paul does not speak of the moral law only,
but of everything connected with the office held by Moses.
That office, which was peculiar to Moses, consisted in laying >
down a rule of life and ceremonies to be observed in the
worship of God, and in afterwards adding promises and
threatenings. Many promises, no doubt, relating to the free
mercy of God and to Christ, are to be found in his writings ;
and these promises belong to faith. But this must be viewed
as accidental, and altogether foreign to the inquiry, so far
as a comparison is made between the law and the doctrine
of grace. Let it be remembered, that the amount of the
question is this: When a promise had been made, why did
Moses afterwards add that new condition, “If a man do, he
shall live in them ;” and, “ Cursed be he that rie gigs not

all the words of this law to do them ?” (Lev. xviii. 5; Deut.
xxvil. 26.) Was it to produce something better pa more
perfect ?

19. Because of transgressions. The law has manifold uses,
but Paul confines himself to that which bears on his present
subject. He did.not propose to inquire in how many ways
the law is of advantage to men. It is necessary to put
readers on their guard on this point ; for very many, I find;
have fallen into the mistake of acknowledging no other ad-

‘

100 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. IIT. 19.

vantage belonging to the law, but what is expressed in this
passage. Paul himself elsewhere speaks of the precepts of
the law as profitable for doctrine and exhortations, (2 Tim.
iii. 16.) The definition here given of the use of the law is
not complete, and those who refuse to make any other
acknowledgment in favour of the law do wrong. Now,
what is the import of the phrase, because of transgressions ?
It agrees with the saying of philosophers, that ‘The law was
made for restraining evil-doers,” and with the old proverb,
“From bad manners have sprung good laws.” But Paul’s
meaning is more extensive than the words may seem to con-
vey. He means that the law was published in order to make
known transgressions, and in this way to compel men to
acknowledge their guilt. As men naturally are too ready
to excuse themselves, so, until they are roused by the law,
their consciences are asleep. ‘ Until the law,” says Paul,
“sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed where there
is no law.” (Rom. vy. 13.) The law came and roused the
sleepers, for this is the true preparation for Christ. “By
the law is the knowledge of sin.” (Rom. iii. 20.) Why ?
“That sin by the commandment might become exceeding
sinful.” (Rom. vii. 13.) Thus, “the law was added because
of transgressions,” in order to reveal their true character, or,
as he tells the Romans, that it might make them to abound.
(Rom. v. 20.)

This passage has tortured the ingenuity of Origen, but to
no purpose. If God summon consciences to his tribunal,
that those qualities in their transgression, which would
otherwise give them pleasure, may humble them by a con-
viction of guilt,—if he shake off the listlessness which over-
whelmed all dread of his judgment-seat,—if he drag to light
sin, which lurked like a thief in the den of hypocrisy,—what
is there in all this that can be reckoned absurd? But it
may be objected: “ As the law is the rule of a devout and
holy life, why is it said to be added ‘because of transgres-
sions, rather than ‘ because of obedience?’” I answer,
however much it may point out true righteousness, yet,
owing to the corruption of our nature, its instruction tends
enly to increase transgressions, until the Spirit of regenera-

‘eee oe

CHAP. 111. 19. EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. 101

tion come, who writes it on the heart; and that Spirit
is not given by the law, but is received by faith. This
saying of Paul, let the reader remember, is not of a phi-
—losophical or political character, but expresses a purpose
of the law, with which the world had been always unac-
quainted.

Till the seed should come. If it has respect to seed, it
must be to that on which the blessing has been pronounced,
and therefore it does not interfere with the promise, The
word till, (aypus ov,) signifies so long as the seed is expected :
and hence it follows, that it must have been intended to
occupy not the highest, but a subordinate rank. It was
given in order to rouse men to the expectation of Christ.
But was it necessary that it should last only until the com-
ing of Christ ?. For if so, it follows that it is now abolished.
The whole of that administration, I reply, was temporal, and
was given for the purpose of preserving among the ancient
people an attachment to the faith of Christ. And yet I do
not admit that, by the coming of Christ, the whole law was
abolished. The apostle did not intend this, but merely that
the mode of administration, which for a time had been in-
troduced, must receive its accomplishment in Christ, who is
the fulfilment of the promise.! But on this subject we shall
have occasion to speak more fully afterwards.

Ordained by angels. The circumstance, that it was de-
livered through angels, tends to the commendation of the
law. This is declared by Stephen (Acts vii. 58) also,
who says, that they had “ received the law, (es dsatayas
ayyédor,) into the dispositions of angels.” The interpreta-
tion given by some, that Moses and Aaron, and the priests,
are the angels here meant, is more ingenious than solid. Nor
is it wonderful that angels, by whom God bestows on us
some of the smallest of his blessings, should have been in-
trusted also with this office of attending as witnesses at the
promulgation of the law.

In the hand of a Mediator. Hand usually signifies mini-
stration ; but as angels were ministers in giving the law, I

1«* Qui est Je parfait accomplissement de la promesse.” Who is the
perfect accomplishment of the promise.”

102 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. III. 19.

consider “the hand of the Mediator” to denote the highest
rank of service. The Mediator was at the head of the em-
bassy, and angels were united with him as his companions.
Some apply this expression to Moses, as marking a compa-
rison between Moses and Christ; but I agree rather with
the ancient expositors, who apply it to Christ himself.! This
view, it will be found, agrees better with the context, though
I differ from the ancients likewise as to the meaning of the
word. Mediator does not, as they imagine, signify here one
who makes reconciliation, which it does in these words,
“ There is one Mediator between God and men, the man
Christ Jesus,” (1 Tim. ii. 5,)—but an ambassador employed
in promulgating a law.

Weare thus to understand, that, since the beginning of the
world, God has held no intercourse with men, but through
the agency of his eternal Wisdom or Son. Hence Peter says,
that the holy prophets spake by the “ Spirit of Christ,”
(1 Pet. i. 12,) and Paul makes him the leader of the people
in the wilderness. (1 Cor. x. 4.) And certainly the Angel
who appeared to Moses, (Exod. 111. 2,) can be no other per-
son ; for he claims to himself the peculiar and essential name
of God, which is never applied to creatures. As he is the
Mediator of reconciliation, by whom we are accepted of God,
—the Mediator of intercession, who opens up for us a way to
“call on the Father,” (1 Pet. i. 17,)—so he has always been
the Mediator of all doctrine, because by him God has always
revealed himself to men. And this he intended to state ex-
pressly, for the purpose of informing the Galatians, that he
who is the foundation of the covenant of grace, held also the
highest rank in the giving of the law.

* « Though some learned men have been of opinion that the mediator
here mentioned is the Son of God, yet I think no reasonable doubt can be
entertained as to its denoting Moses. Strictly speaking, Aaron, or rather
the priesthood, was the mediator of the old covenant. J¢ answers to the
Great High-Priest, (¢exsegevs,) Mediator, (uecirns,) and Surety, (yyvs,)
of the new covenant. But the reference seems here to the giving of the
law; that was by Moses. ‘The law was given by Moses.’ (John i. 17.)
God speaks to Moses, and Moses speaks to the people; and this arrange-
ment was entered into by the express request of the people themselyes.—
Moses himself says, ‘I stood between the Lord and you at that time.
(Deut. v. 5.) Philo calls Moses “eoiras.” Brown.

CHAP. Ir. 20. EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. 103

20. Now, a mediator is not a mediator of one. Some are
disposed to philosophize on this expression, and would make
Paul’s meaning to be, that the twofold nature of Christ is
not one in essence. But that Paul is here speaking of the
contracting parties, no man of sound judgment entertains a
doubt. And so they commonly expound it, that there is no
room for a Mediator, unless when one of the parties has a
matter to transact with the other. But why that statement
should have been introduced they leave undetermined,
though the passage manifestly deserves the most careful
attention. There may, perhaps, be an Anticipation (spo-
Anis) of some wicked thought that might arise about a
change of the divine purpose. Some one might say, “ As
men, when they change their mind about their covenants,
are wont to retract them, so has it happened with the cove-
nants of God.” If you take this to be the meaning, then,
in the former clause, Paul would acknowledge that men,
who occupy one side of this contract, are unsteady and
changeable, while God nevertheless remains the same, is
consistent with himself, and partakes not of the unsteadiness
of men.

But when I take a closer view of the whole subject, I
rather think that it marks a difference between Jews and
Gentiles. Christ is not the Mediator of one, because, in re-
spect of outward character, there is a diversity of condition
among those with whom, through his mediation, God enters
into covenant. But Paul asserts that we have no right to
judge in this manner of the covenant of God, as if it contra-
dicted itself, or varied according to the diversities of men.
The words are now clear. As Christ formerly reconciled
God to the Jews in making a covenant, so now he is the
Mediator of the Gentiles. The Jews differ widely from the
Gentiles; for circumcision and ceremonies have erected
“the middle wall of partition between them.” (Eph. ii. 14.)
They were “nigh” to God, (Eph. ii. 13,) while the Gentiles
were “afar off;’ but still God is consistent with himself.
This becomes evident, when Christ brings those who formerly
differed among themselves to one God, and makes them unite
in one body. (God is one, because he always continues to be

104 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. II. 21;

like himself, and, with unvarying regularity, holds fixed and
unalterable the purpose which he has once made.’ .

21. Is the law then against the promises of God? The
certainty and steadiness of the divine purpose being admit-
ted, we are bound equally to conclude that its results are
not contrary to each other. Still there was a difficulty to
be resolved, arising from the apparent contradiction between
the Law and the covenant of grace, This is, perhaps, an ex-
clamation. Dreading no farther contradiction, now that the
point is settled, Paul concludes, that the former arguments
have placed it beyond a doubt, and exclaims: “ Who will
now dare to imagine a disagreement between the law and
the promises?” And yet this does not prevent Paul from
proceeding to remove the difficulties that might still arise.

Before answering the question, he expresses, in his usual
manner, a high disdain of such folly ; thus intimating
the strong abhorrence with which pious men must regard
whatever brings reproach on the Divine character. But
another instance of high address, which claims our notice,
is found in this turn of expression. He charges his adver-
saries with the offence of making God contradict himself.
For from him the Law and the promises have evidently pro-
ceeded: whoever then alleges any contradiction between
them blasphemes against God: but they do contradict each
other, if the Law justifies. Thus does Paul most dexterously
retort upon his adversaries the charge which they falsely
and calumniously brought against him.

For vf there had been a law given. The reply is (what is

1 « This is confessedly one of the most obscure passages in the New
Testament, and, perhaps, above all others, ‘ vexatus ab interpretibus,’
(tortured by interpreters, ) if it be true, as Winer affirms, that there are
no less than 250 modes of explanation, most of which are stated and re-
viewed by Koppe, Borger, Keil, Bonitz, Weigand, and Schott.”— (Bloom-
field.) Schott remarks, that the bare fact of upwards of 250 interpreta-
tions makes it impossible to deny that some obscurity attaches to the
Apostle’s language in this passage, arising chiefly from mere brevity of
style, but judiciously adds, that, had there not been many commentators
more eager to bring forward anything that has the appearance of novelty,
than to investigate the ordinary meaning of the terms, the scope of the
passage, and the doctrinal statements and reasonings eontained in the
writings of the Apostle Paul, the interpretations would never have swelled
to so large an amount. —/d.

CHAP. I11. 22. EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS, 105

called) indirect, and does not plainly assert an agreement be-
tween the law and the promises, but contains all that is neces-
sary to remove the contradiction. At first sight, you would
say that this sentence departs from the context, and has no-
thing to do with the solution of the question; but this is not
the case. The law would be opposed to the promises, if it
had the power of justifying ; for there would be two opposite
methods of justifying a man, two separate roads towards
the attainment of righteousness. But Paul refuses to the
law such a power; so that the contradiction is removed. I
would admit, says he, that righteousness is obtained by the
law, if salvation were found in it. But what ?

22. The Scripture hath concluded. By the word Scripture
is chiefly intended the law itself. It “ hath concluded all
under sin,” and therefore, instead of giving, it takes away
righteousness from all. The reasoning is most powerful.
“ You seek righteousness in the law: but the law itself, with
the whole of Scripture, leaves nothing to men but condem-
nation ; for all men, with their works, are pronounced to be
unrighteous: who then shall live by the law?” He alludes
to these words, ‘‘ He who shall do these things, shall live in
them.” (Lev. xviii. 5.) Shut out by it, says he, from life
through guilt, in vain should we seek salvation by the law.—
The word translated all (ra mdvta) signifies all things,and con-
veys more than if he had said all men; for it embraces not only
men, but every thing which they possess or can accomplish.

That the promise by faith. There is no remedy but to
throw away the righteousness of works, and betake ourselves
to the faith of Christ. The result is certain. If works come
into judgment, we are all condemned ; therefore we obtain,
by the faith of Christ, a free righteousness. This sentence
is full of the highest consolation, It tells us that, wherever
we hear ourselves condemned in Scripture, there is help pro-
vided for us in Christ, if we betake ourselves to him. We
are lost, though God were silent: why then does he so often
pronounce that-we are lost? It is that we may not perish
by everlasting destruction, but, struck and confounded by
such a dreadful sentence, may by faith seek Christ, through
whom we “ pass from death into life.” (1 John iii. 14.) By

\

106 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. III. 23: _

a figure of speech, (werwyvpia,) in which the thing containing
is put for the thing contained, the promise denotes that

which is promised.

23. But before faith came, we
were kept under the law, shut up
unto the faith which should after-
wards be revealed.

24. Wherefore the law was our
schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ,
that we might be justified by faith.

25. But after that faith is come,
we are no longer under a school-
master.

26. For ye are all the children of
God by faith in Christ Jesus.

27. For as many of you as have
been baptized into Christ have put
on Christ.

28. There is neither Jew nor
Greek, there is neither bond nor free,
there is neither male nor female: for
ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

29. And if ye be Christ’s, then are
ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs accord-
ing to the promise.

23. Before faith came.

23. Antequam autem veniret fides,
sub Lege custodiebamur, conclusi
sub fidem, que revelanda erat.

24. Itaque Lex pzedagogus nos-
ter fuit in Christum, ut ex fide jus-
tificaremur.

25. Adveniente autem fide, non
amplius sub peedagogo sumus.

26. Nam omnes filii Dei estis per
fidem in Christo Iesu.

27. Siquidem quicunque in Chris-
tum baptizati ‘estis, Christum in-
duistis.

28. Non est Iudeeus neque Greecus,
non est servus neque liber, non est
masculus neque femina ; omnes enim
vos unus estis in Christo Iesu.

29. Si autem vos Christi, ergo
semen Abrahe estis, et secundum
promissionem heeredes.

The question proposed is now

more fully defined. He explains at great length the use of
the law, and the reason why it was temporal ; for otherwise
it would have appeared to be always unreasonable that a law
should be delivered to the Jews, from which the Gentiles
were excluded. If there be but one church consisting of
Jews and Gentiles, why is there a diversity in its govern-
ment? Whence is this new liberty derived, and on what
authority does it rest, since the fathers were under subjection
to the law? He therefore informs us, that the distinction is
such as not to interrupt the union and harmony of the church.

We must again remind the reader that Paul does not treat
exclusively of ceremonies, or of the moral law, but embraces
the whole economy by which the Lord governed his people
under the Old Testament. It became a subject of dispute
whether the form of government instituted by Moses had
any influence in obtaining righteousness. Paul compares
this law first to a prison, and next to a schoolmaster. Such
was the nature of the law, as both comparisons plainly

2a ee ee

CHAP. II. 24. EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. 107

show, that it could not have been in force beyond a certain
time.

Faith denotes the full revelation of those things which,
during the darkness of the shadows of the law, were dimly
seen ; for he does not intend to say that the fathers, who
lived under the law, did not possess faith. The faith of
Abraham has already come under our notice, and other in-
stances are quoted by the author of the Epistle to the He-
brews. (Heb. xi.) The doctrine of faith, in short, is attested
by Moses and all the prophets: but, as faith was not then
clearly manifested, so the time of fazth is an appellation here _
given, not in an absolute, but in a comparative sense, to the
time of the New Testament. That this was his meaning is
evident from what he immediately adds, that they were shut
up under the faith which should afterwards be revealed ; for
this implies that those who were under the custody of the
law were partakers of the same faith. The law did not re- °
strain them from faith; but, that they might not wander
from the fold of faith, it kept possession of themselves.
There is an elegant allusion, too, to what he had formerly
said, that ‘‘ the scripture hath concluded all under sin.”
They were besieged on every hand by the curse, but this
siege was counteracted by an imprisonment which protected
them from the curse ; so that the imprisonment by the law
is here proved to have been highly generous in its character.

Faith was not yet revealed, not because the fathers wanted
light, but because they had less light than we have. The —
ceremonies might be said to shadow out an absent Christ, but ~
to us he is represented as actually present, and thus while
they had the mirror, we have the substance. Whatever
might be the amount of darkness under the law, the fathers
were not ignorant of the road in which they ought to walk.
Though the dawn is not equal to the splendour of noon, yet,
as it is sufficient to direct a journey, travellers do not wait

“till the sun is fully risen. Their portion of light resembled
the dawn, which was enough to preserve them from all error,
and guide them to everlasting blessedness.

24. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster. This is the
second comparison, which still more clearly expresses Paul’s

108 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. IIT. 24,

design. A schoolmaster is not appointed for the whole life,
but only for childhood, as the etymology of the Greek word
matdaywyos implies.! Besides, in training a child, the object
is to prepare him, by the instructions of childhood, for ma-
turer years. The comparison applies in both respects to the
law, for its authority was limited to a particular age, and its

whole object was to prepare its scholars in such a manner,

that, when its elementary instructions were closed, they might
make progress worthy of manhood. And so he adds, that} it
was our schoolmaster (eis Xpicrov) unto Christ. The gram-
marian, when he has trained a boy, delivers him into the
hands of another, who conducts him through the higher
branches of a finished education. In like manner, the law
was the grammar of theology, which, after carrying its scholars
a short way, handed them over to faith to be completed.
Thus, Paul compares the Jews to children, and us to ad-
vanced youth,

But a question arises, what was the instruction or educa-
tion of this schoolmaster? First, the law, by displaying the
justice of God, convinced them that in themselves they were
unrighteous ; for in the commandments of God, as in a mir-
ror, they might see how far they were distant from true
righteousness. They were thus reminded that righteousness
must be sought in some other quarter., The promises of the
law served the same purpose, and might lead to such reflec-
tions as these: “ If you cannot obtain life by works but by
fulfilling the law, some new and different method must be
sought. Your weakness will never allow you to ascend so
high; nay, though you desire and strive ever so much, you
will fall far short of the object.’ The threatenings, on the
other hand, pressed and entreated them to seek refuge from

1“ As the law was before compared to a jailer, so it is here likened toa
ruideyw'yos, by which term is not to be understood a schoolmaster, (for that
would have been %ddéexaA05,) but the padagogus or person (usually a freed-
man or slave) who conducted children to and from school, attended them
out of school hours, formed their manners, superintended their moral con-
duct, and in various respects prepared them for the 32éc%«43.”—Bloom-
field. Our author’s observations on va2«ywyé;,in another passage, have
brought out the full meaning of this word, and the classical authorities for
the use of it, in the translator’s notes.—CaLvin on the Corinthians, vol. 1.
p. 169.—Ed.

CHAP. Ir. 25. EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. 109

the wrath and curse of God, and gave them no rest till they
were constrained to seek the grace of Christ.

/Such too, was the tendency of all the ceremonies; for
what end did sacrifices and washings serve but to keep the
mind continually fixed on pollution and condemnation?
When a man’s uncleanness is placed before his eyes, when
the unoffending animal is held forth as the image of his own
death, how can he indulge in sleep? How can he but be
roused to the earnest ery for deliverance? Beyond all doubt,
ceremonies accomplished their object, not merely by alarming
and humbling the conscience, but by exciting them to the
faith of the coming Redeemer. In the imposing services of

the Mosaic ritual, every thing that was presented to the eye»

bore an impress of Christ. The law, in short, was nothing

else than an immense variety of exercises, in which the wor-

shippers were led by the hand to Christ,

That we might be justified by faith. He has already said
that the law is not perfect, when he compared it to the
training of childhood ; but it would make men perfect if it
bestowed upon them righteousness. What remains but that
faith shall take its place? And so it does, when we, who are
destitute of a righteousness of our own, are clothed by it
with the righteousness of Christ. Thus is the saying accom-
plished, “ he hath filled the hungry with good things.”
(Luke i. 53.)

25. But after that faith ts come. This phrase has been
already considered. It denotes the brighter revelation of
grace after that “ the vail of the temple was rent in twain,”
(Matt. xxvil. 51,) which, we know, was effected by the mani-
festation of Christ. He affirms that, under the reign of
Christ, there is no longer any childhood which needs to be
placed under a schoolmaster, and that, consequently, the law
has resigned its office,—which is another application of the
comparison. There were two things which he had undertaken
to prove,—that the law is a preparation for Christ, and that
it is temporal. But here the question is again put, Is the
law so abolished that we have nothing to do with it? I an-
_ swer, the law, so far as tt is a rule of life, a bridle to keep
us in the fear of the Lord, a spur to correct the sluggishness

<

110 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. III. 27.

of our flesh,—so far, in short, as it is “ profitable for doctrine,
for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
that believers may be instructed in every good work,” (2 Tim.
— iii. 16, 17,)—is as much in force as ever, and remains un-
touched.

In what respect, then, is it abolished? Paul, we have said,
looks at the law as possessing certain qualities, and those
qualities we shall enumerate. It annexes to works a reward
and a punishment; that is, it promises life to those who
keep it, and curses all transgressors. Meanwhile, it requires
from man the highest perfection and most exact obedience.
It makes no abatement, gives no pardon, but calls to a severe
reckoning the smallest offences. It does not openly exhibit
Christ and his grace, but points him out at a distance, and
only when hidden by the covering of ceremonies. All such
qualities of the law, Paul tells us, are abolished ; so that the
office of Moses is now at an end, so far as it differs in outward
aspect from a covenant of grace.

26. For ye are all the children of God. It would be unjust,
and in the highest degree unreasonable, that the law should
hold believers in perpetual slavery. This is proved by the
additional argument, that they are the children of God. It
would not be enough to say that we are no longer children,
unless it were added that we are freemen ; for in slaves age
makes no alteration. The fact of their being the children of
God proves their freedom. How? By faith in Christ Jesus ;
for “ as many as received him, to them gave he power to
become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his
name.” (John i.12.) Since, then, by faith we have obtained
adoption, by faith likewise we have obtained our freedom.

27. As many of you as have been baptized. The greater
and loftier the privilege is of being the children of God, the
farther is it removed from our senses, and the more difficult
to obtain belief. He therefore explains, in a few words,
what is implied in our being united, or rather, made one
with the Son of God ; so as to remove all doubt, that what
belongs to him is communicated to us. He employs the
metaphor of a garment, when he says that the Galatians
have put on Christ ; but he means that they are so closely

CHAP. IIT. 27. EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. Tit

united to him, that, in the presence of God, they bear the
- name and character of Christ, and are viewed in him rather
than in themselves. This metaphor or similitude, taken from
garments, occurs frequently, and has been treated by us in
other places.

But the argument, that, because they have been baptized,
they have put on Christ, appears weak ; for how far is bap-
tism from being efficacious in all? Is it reasonable that the
grace of the Holy Spirit should be so closely linked to an
external symbol? Does not the uniform doctrine of Scrip-
ture, as well as experience, appear to confute this statement ?
I answer, it is customary with Paul to treat of the sacra-
ments in two points of view. When he is dealing with
hypocrites, in whom the mere symbol awakens pride, he
then proclaims loudly the emptiness and worthlessness of
the outward symbol, and denounces, in strong terms, their
foolish confidence. In such cases he contemplates not the
ordinance of God, but the corruption of wicked men. When,
on the other hand, he addresses believers, who make a pro-
per use of the symbols, he then views them in connexion
with the truth—which they represent. In this case, he
makes no boast of any false splendour as belonging to the
sacraments, but calls our attention to the actual fact repre-
sented by the outward ceremony. Thus, agreeably to the
Divine appointment, the truth comes to be associated with
the symbols.

But perhaps some person will ask, Is.it then possible that,
through the fault of men, a sacrament shall cease to bear a
figurative meaning? The reply is easy. Though wicked
men may derive no advantage from the sacraments, they
still retain undiminished their nature and force. The sacra-
ments present, both to good and to bad men, the grace of
God. No falsehood attaches to the promises which they ex-
hibit of the grace of the Holy Spirit. Believers receive what
is offered ; and if wicked men, by rejecting it, render the
offer unprofitable to themselves, their conduct cannot destroy
the faithfulness of God, or the true meaning of the sacra-
ment.’ With strict propriety, then, does Paul, in addressing

1 « Tf any person receives nothing more than this bodily washing, which

ti COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. III. 29:

believers, say, that when they were baptized, they “ put on
Christ ;” just as, in the Epistle to the Romans, he says, “that
we have been planted together into his death, so as to be
also partakers of his resurrection.” (Rom. vi. 5.) In this way,
the symbol and the Divine operation are kept distinct, and
yet the meaning of the sacraments is manifest ; so that they
eannot be regarded as empty and trivial exhibitions ; and
we are reminded with what base ingratitude they are charge-
able, who, by abusing the precious ordinances of God, not
only.render them unprofitable to themselves, but turn them
to their own destruction !

28. There is neither Jew nor Greek. The meaning is, that
there is no distinction of persons here, and therefore it is of no
consequence to what nation or condition any one may be-
long: nor is circumcision any more regarded than sex or
civil rank. And why? Because Christ makes them all one.
Whatever may have been their former differences, Christ
alone is able to unite them all. Ye are one: the distinction
is now removed. The apostle’s object is to shew that the
grace of adoption, and the hope of salvation, do not depend
on the law, but are contained in Christ alone, who therefore
is all. Greek is here put, as usual, for Gentile, and one de-
partment for the whole class.

29. Then are ye Abrahams seed. This is not intended to
convey the idea, that to be a child of Abraham is better than
to be a member of Christ,—but to repress the pride of the
Jews, who gloried in their privilege, as if they alone were
the people of God. They reckoned no distinction higher
than to belong to the race of Abraham; and this very dis-
tinction he makes to be common to all who believe in Christ.
The conclusion rests on this argument, that Christ is the
blessed seed, in whom, as we have said, all the children of
Abraham are united. He proves this by the universal offer
of the inheritance to them all, from which it follows, that
the promise includes them among the children. It deserves
notice, that, wherever faith is mentioned, it is always in
relation to the promise.

is perceived by the eyes of flesh, he has not put on the Lord Jesus Christ.”
—Jerome.

eee

CHAP. IV. 1.

EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS.

113

CHAPTER IV.

1. Now I say, That the heir, as
long as he is a child, differeth no-
thing from a servant, though he be
lord of all;

2. But is under tutors and gover-
nors, until the time appointed of the
father.

3. Even so we, when we were
children, were in bondage under the
elements of the world:

4. But when the fulness of the
time was come, God sent forth his
Son, made of a woman, made under
the law,

5. To redeem them that were
under the law, that we might re-

1. Dico autem: quamdiu heres
puer est, nihil differt a servo, quum
tamen sit dominus omnium ;

2. Sed sub tutoribus et curatori-
bus est, usque ad tempus a patre
definitum.

3. Sic et nos quum essemus pueri,
sub elementis mundi in servitute
eramus.

4. Quando autem venit plenitudo
temporis, misit Deus Filium suum,
factum ex muliere, redactum sub
Legem ;

5. Ut eos, qui sub Lege erant,
redimeret, ut adoptionem recipere-

ceive the adoption of sons. mus.

1. Now I say. Whoever made the division into chapters ©
has improperly separated this paragraph from the preceding,
as it is nothing else than the concluding section, (ée£ep-
yacia,) in which Paul explains and illustrates the difference
that exists between us and the ancient people. He does so by
introducing a third comparison, drawn from the relation which
a person under age bears to his tutor. The young man, though
he is free, though he is lord of all his father’s family, still
resembles a slave; for he is under the government of tutors.'
But the period of guardianship lasts only “until the time
appointed by the father,” after which he enjoys his freedom.
In this respect the fathers under the Old Testament, being
the sons of God, were free; but they were not in possession
of freedom, while the law held the place of their tutor, and
kept them under its yoke. That slavery of the law lasted as
long as it pleased God, who put an end to it at the coming
of Christ. Lawyers enumerate various methods by which
the tutelage or guardianship is brought to a close; but of all

1 “’Esizgoros signifies both a child’s guardian to take care of his person
and estate,_and his instructor and tutor, trirgoros xal rod waidds xa) cay
xenudrov, * the guardian both of the child and of his property.’ (/®lian,
v, H. 1. 3. ¢. 26.) Here it properly signifies the latter, his preceptor or
tutor. The next word, sizéveu0s, which we render governor, here denotes
his guardian, who is to take care of his person and estate; and to each of

these the heirs to large inheritances are generally subject, even as servants
are subject to their proper masters.”— Chandler.

H

114 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. Iv. 1].

these methods, the only one adapted to this comparison is
that which Paul has selected, “the appointment of the
father.” F

Let us now examine the separate clauses. Some apply

the comparison in a different manner to the case of any man
whatever, whereas Paul is speaking of two nations. What
they say, I acknowledge, is true; but it has nothing to do
with the present passage. The elect, though they are the
children of God from the womb, yet, until by faith they come
to the possession of freedom, remain like slaves under the
law; but, from the time that they have known Christ, they
no longer require this kind of tutelage. Granting all this,
I deny that Paul here treats of individuals, or draws a dis-
tinction between the time of unbelief and the calling by
faith. The matters in dispute were these. Since the church
of God is one, how comes it that our condition is different
from that of the Israelites? Since we are free by faith, how
comes it that they, who had faith in common with us, were
not partakers with us of the same freedom? Since we are
all equally the children of God, how comes it that we at this
day are exempt from a yoke which they were forced to bear?
On these points the controversy turned, and not on the
manner in which the law reigns over each of us before we
are freed by faith from its slavery. Let this point be first
of all settled, that Paul here compares the Israelitish church,
which existed under the Old Testament, with the Christian
church, that thus we may perceive in what points we agree
and in what we differ. This comparison furnishes most
abundant and most profitable instruction.

First, we learn from it that our hope at the present day,
and that of the fathers under the Old Testament, have been
directed to the same inheritance; for they were partakers
of the same adoption. According to the dreams of some
fanatics, and of Servetus among others, the fathers were
divinely elected for the sole purpose of prefiguring to us a
people of God. Paul, on the other hand, contends that they
were elected in order to be together with us the children of
God, and particularly attests that to them, not less than to
us, belonged the spiritual blessing promised to Abraham.

CHAP. IV. I. EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS, L115

Secondly, we learn that, notwithstanding their outward
slavery, their consciences were still free. The obligation to
keep the law did not hinder Moses and Daniel, all the pious
kings, priests, and prophets, and the whole company of be-
lievers, from being free in spirit. They bore the yoke of the
law upon their shoulders, but with a free spirit they wor-
shipped God. More particularly, having been instructed
concerning the free pardon of sin, their consciences were
delivered from the tyranny of sin and death. Hence we
ought to conclude that they held the same doctrine, were
joined with us in the true unity of faith, placed reliance on
the one Mediator, called on God as their Father, and were led
by the same Spirit. All this leads to the conclusion, that the
difference between us and the ancient fathers lies in acci-
dents, not in substance. In all the leading characters of the
Testament or Covenant we agree: the ceremonies and form of
government, in which we differ, are mere additions. Besides,
that period was the infancy of the church ; but now that
Christ is come, the church has arrived at the estate of
manhood.

The meaning of Paul’s words is clear, but has he not some
appearance of contradicting himself? In the Epistle to the
Ephesians he exhorts us to make daily progress “ till we
come to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of
the fulness of Christ.” (Eph. iv. 13.) In the first Epistle
to the Corinthians he says, (1 Cor. i. 2,) “ I have fed you
with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able
to bear it, neither yet now are ye able;” and shortly after
this he compares the Galatians to children. (Gal. iv. 19}
In those passages, I reply, the apostle speaks of particular
men, and of their faith as individuals ; but here he speaks
generally of two bodies without regard to persons. This
reply will assist us in resolving a much greater difficulty.
When we look at the matchless faith of Abraham, and the
' vast intelligence of the holy prophets, with what effrontery
shall we dare to talk of such men as our inferiors? Were
not they rather the heroes, and we the children? To say
nothing of ourselves, who among the Galatians would have
been found equal to any of those men ?

116 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP, Iv. 1.

But here, as I have already said, the apostle describes not
particular persons, but the universal condition of both na-
tions. Some men were endowed with extraordinary gifts; but
they were few, and the whole body did not share with them.
Besides, though they had been numerous, we must inquire

not what they inwardly were, but what was that kind of

government under which God had placed them; and that
was manifestly a school, wadaywyia, a system of instruction
for children. And what are we now? God has broken those
chains, governs his church in a more indulgent manner, and
lays not upon us such severe restraint. At the same time,
we may remark in passing, that whatever amount of know-
ledge they might attain partook of the nature of the period ;
for a dark cloud continually rested on the revelation which
they enjoyed. And hence that saying of our Saviour,
“ Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye see: for
I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to see
those things which ye sce, and have not seen them ; and to
hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.”
(Luke x. 23, 24.) We now understand in what respect we
are preferred to those who were greatly our superiors ; for
the statements are not applied to persons, but relate entirely
to the economy of the Divine administration.

This passage will prove a most powerful battery for de-
stroying the pageantry of ceremonies, which constitutes the
entire splendour of the Papal system. For what else is it
that dazzles the eyes of simple people, so as to lead them to
regard the dominion of the Pope, if not with admiration, at
least with some degree of reverence, but the magnificent
array of ceremonies, rites, gesticulations, and equipage of
every description, contrived for the express purpose of amaz-
ing the ignorant? From this passage it appears that they
are false disguises, by which the true beauty of the church
is impaired. I do not now speak of greater and more fright-
ful corruptions, such as, that they hold them out for divine
worship, imagine them to possess the power of meriting sal-
vation, and enforce with more rigid severity the observation
of those trifles than the whole law of God. I only advert to
the specious pretext under which our modern contrivers apo-

ebieieat

717

“iw

Lae ger

nd

CHAP. IV. 3. EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. 117

logize for such a multitude of abominations. What though
they object that the ignorance of the multitude prevails to
a greater extent than it formerly did among the Israelites,
and that many assistances are therefore required? They
will never be able in this way to prove that the people must
be placed under the discipline of a school similar to what
existed among the people of Israel; for I shall always meet
them with the declaration, that the appointment of God is
totally different.

If they plead expediency, I ask, are they better judges of
what is expedient than God himself? Let us entertain the
firm conviction that the highest advantage, as well as the
highest propriety, will be found in whatever God has deter-
mined. In aiding the ignorant, we must employ not those
methods which the fancy of men may have been pleased to
contrive, but those which had been fixed by God himself,
who unquestionably has left out nothing that was fitted to
assist their weakness. Let this shield suffice for repelling
any objections: ‘‘ God has judged otherwise, and his purpose
supplies to us the place of all arguments ; unless it be sup-
posed that men are capable of devising better aids than those
which God had provided, and which he afterwards threw
aside as useless.” Let it be carefully observed, Paul does
not merely say that the yoke which had been laid upon the
Jews is removed from us, but expressly lays down a dis-
tinction in the government which God has commanded
to be observed. I acknowledge that we are now at liberty
as to all outward matters, but only on the condition
that the church shall not be burdened with a multitude of
ceremonies, nor Christianity confounded with Judaism. The
reason of this we shall afterwards consider in the proper
place.

3. Under the elements of the world. Elements may either
mean, literally, outward and bodily things, or, metaphori-
cally, rudiments. I prefer the latter interpretation. Bui
why does he say that those things which had a spirituai
signification were of the world? We did not, he says,
enjoy the truth in a simple form, but involved in earthly
figures ; and consequently, what was outward must have been

st, J of |

118 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. IV. +.

“ of the world,” though there was concealed under it a
heavenly mystery.

4. When the fulness of the time was come. He proceeds
with the comparison which he had adduced, and applies to
his purpose the expression which has already occurred, “ the
time appointed by the Father,’—but still shewing that the
time which had been ordained by the providence of God was
proper and seasonable. ‘That season is the most fit, and that
mode of acting is the most proper, which the providence of
God directs. At what time it was expedient that the Son
of God should be revealed to the world, it belonged to God
alone to judge and determine. This consideration ought to
restrain all curiosity. Let no man presume to be dissatisfied
with the secret purpose of God, and raise a dispute why
Christ did not appear sooner. If the reader desires more
full information on this subject, he may consult what I have
written on the conclusion of the Epistle to the Romans.

God sent forth hisSon. These few words contain much in-
struction. The Son, who was sent, must have existed before he
was sent ; and this proves his eternal Godhead. Christ there-
fore is the Son of God, sent from heaven. Yet this same
person was made of a woman, because he assumed our nature,
which shews that he has two natures. Some copies read
natum instead of filium ; but the latter reading is more
generally followed, and, in my opinion, is preferable. But
the language was also expressly intended to distinguish
Christ from other men, as having been formed of the sub-
stance of his mother, and not by ordinary generation. In
any other sense, it would have been trifling, and foreign to
the subject. The word woman is here put generally for the
female sex.

Subjected under the law. The literal rendering is, Made
under the law ; but in my version I have preferred another
word, which expresses more plainly the fact that he was
placed in subjection to the law. Christ the Son of God, who
might have claimed to be exempt from every kind of subjec-
tion, became subject to the law. Why? He did so in our
room, that he might obtain freedom for us. A man who was
free, by constituting himself a surety, redeems a slave: by

CHAP. IV, 5. EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. 119
putting on himself the chains, he takes them off from the
other. So Christ chose to become liable to keep the law,
that exemption from it might be obtained for us ; otherwise
it would have been to no purpose that he should come under
the yoke of the Jaw, for it certainly was not on his own
account that he did so.

To redeem them that were under the law.’ We must here
observe, the exemption from the law which Christ has pro-
cured for us does not imply that we no longer owe any obe-
dience to the doctrine of the law, and may do whatever we
please ; for the law is the everlasting rule of a good and holy
life. But Paul speaks of the law with all its appendages.
From subjection to that law we are redeemed, because it is
no longer what it once was. “ The vail being rent,” (Matt.
xxvii. 51,) freedom is openly proclaimed, and this is what
he immediately adds.

5. That we might receive the adoption. The fathers, under
the Old Testament, were certain of their adoption, but did
not so fully as yet enjoy their privilege. Adoption, like the
phrase, “ the redemption of our body,” (Rom. viii. 23,) is
here put for actual possession. As, at the last day, we re-
ceive the fruit of our redemption, so now we receive the fruit
of adoption, of which the holy fathers did not partake before
the coming of Christ; and therefore those who now burden
the church with an excess of ceremonies, defraud her of the

just right of adoption.

6. And because ye are sons, God
hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son
into your hearts, erying, Abba, Fa-
ther.

7. Wherefore thou art no more a
servant, but ason; and ifason, then
an heir of God through Christ.

8. Howbeit then, when ye knew
not God, ye did service unto them
which by nature are no gods.

9. But now, after that ye have
known God, or rather are known of
God, how turn ye again to the weak

6. Quoniam autem estis filii, misit
Deus Spiritum Filii sui in corda
vestra, clamantem, Abba, Pater.

7. Itaque non amplius es servus,
sed filius; si autem filius, etiam heres
Dei per Christum.

8. At tune quum nondum cogno-
veratis Deum, serviebatis eis qui
natura non sunt dil.

9. Nunc autem postquam cogno-
vistis Deum, vel potius cogniti fuistis
a Deo; quomodo convertimini rursus

' «© So far was he from subjecting to the yoke of the law those to whom
the law had not been given, that he came in order to emancipate even

the Jews themselves.”-——Wetstein.

{20 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAR. Iv. 6.

and beggarly elements, whereunto ad infirma et egena elementa, quibus
ye desire again to be in bondage? __rursus de integro servire vultis ?

10. Ye observe days, and months, 10. Dies observatis, et menses, et
and times, and years. tempora, et annos. _ ‘
11. I amafraid of you, lest I have 1L. Timeo de vobis, ne forte in

bestowed upon you labour in vain. __ vobis frustra laboraverim.

6. And because ye are sons. The adoption which he had
mentioned, is proved to belong to the Galatians by the fol-
lowing argument. This adoption must have preceded the
testimony of adoption given by the Holy Spirit; but the
effect is the sign of the cause. In venturing, he says, to call
God your Father, you have the advice and direction of the
Spirit of Christ ; therefore it is certain that you are the sons
of God. This agrees with what is elsewhere taught by him,
that the Spirit is the earnest and pledge of our adoption,
and gives to us a well-founded belief that God regards us
with a father’s love. “ Who hath also sealed us, and given the
earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.” (2 Cor.i.22.) ‘“ Nowhe
that hath wrought us for the self-same thing is God, who also
hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.” (2 Cor. v. 5.)
/~But it will be objected, do not wicked men, too, carry
their rashness so far as to proclaim that God is their Father ?
Do they not frequently, with greater confidence than others,
utter their false boasts? I reply, Paul’s language does not
relate to idle boasting, or to the proud opinion of himself
which any man may entertain, but to the testimony of a
pious conscience which accompanies the new birth. This
argument can have no weight but in the case of believers,
for ungodly men have no experience of this certainty; as
our Lord himself declares. “ The Spirit of truth,” says he,
“ whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not,
neither knoweth him.” (John xiv. 17.) This is implied in
Paul’s words, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into
your hearts. It is not what the persons themselves, in the
foolish judgment of the flesh, may venture to believe, but
what God declares in their hearts by his Spirit. The Spirit
of his Son is a title more strictly adapted to the present
occasion than any other that could have been employed. We
are the sons of God, because we have received the same
Spirit as his only Son.

ee) oe

CHAP. Iv. 7. EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. pot

Let it be observed, that Paul ascribes this universally to
all Christians ; for where this pledge of the Divine love to-
wards us is wanting, there is assuredly no faith. Hence it
is evident what sort of Christianity belongs to Popery, since
any man who says, that he has the Spirit of God, is charged by
them with impious presumption. Neither the Spirit of God,
nor certainty, belongs to their notion of faith. This single
tenet held by them is a remarkable proof that, in all the
schools of the Papists, the devil, the father of unbelief, reigns.
Tacknowledge, indeed, that the scholastic divines, when they
enjoin upon the consciences of men the agitation of perpe-
tual doubt, are in perfect agreement with what the natural
feelings of mankind would dictate. It is the more necessary
to fix in our minds this doctrine of Paul, that no man is a
Christian who has not learned, by the teaching of the Holy
Spirit, to call God his Father.

Crying. This participle, I think, is used in order to ex-
press greater boldness. Hesitation does not allow us to
speak freely, but keeps the mouth nearly shut, while the
half-broken words can hardly escape from a stammering
tongue. “Crying,” on the other hand, expresses firmness
and unwavering confidence. ‘ For we have not received
again the spirit of bondage to fear, but of freedom to full
confidence.” (Rom. viii. 15.)

Abba, Father. The meaning of these words, I have no
doubt, is, that calling upon God is common to all languages.
It is a fact which bears directly on the present subject, that
the name Father is given to God both by the Hebrews and
by the Greeks ; as had been predicted by Isaiah, “ Every
tongue shall make confession to my name.” (Isaiah xlv.
23.) The whole of this subject is handled by the apostle at
greater length in his Epistle to the Romans. I judge it un-
necessary to repeat here observations which I have already
made in the exposition of that Epistle, and which the reader
may consult. Since, therefore, Gentiles are reckoned among
the sons of God, it is evident that adoption comes not by the
merit of the law, but by the grace of faith.

7. Wherefore thou art no more a servant. In the Chris-
tian Church slavery no longer exists, but the condition of the

122 COMMENTARIES ON THE cHapP. Iv. 9.
children is free. In what respect the fathers under the law
were slaves, we have already inquired ; for their freedom
was not yet revealed, but was hidden under the coverings
and yoke of the law. Our attention is again directed to the
distinction between the Old and New Testaments. The
ancients were also sons of God, and heirs through Christ, but
we hold the same character in a different manner; for we
have Christ present with us, and in that manner enjoy his
blessings.

8. But when ye as yet knew not God. This is not intended
as an additional argument; and indeed he had already
proved his point so fully, that no doubt remained, and the
rebuke which was now to be administered could not be
evaded. His object is to make their fall appear more crimi-
nal, by comparing it with past events. It is not wonder-
ful, lie says, that formerly ye did service to them which by
nature are no gods; for, wherever ignorance of Ged ex-
ists, there must be dreadful blindness. You were then
wandering in darkness, but how disgraceful is it that in the
midst of light you should fall into such gross errors! The
main inference is, that the Galatians were less excusable for
corrupting the gospel than they had formerly been for ido-
latry. But here it ought to be observed, that, till we have
been enlightened in the true knowledge of one God, we always
serve idols, whatever pretext we may throw over the false
religion. The lawful worship of God, therefore, must be
preceded by just views of his character. By nature, that is,
in reality, they areno gods. Every object of worship which
men contrive is a creature of their own imagination. In the
opinion of men idols may be gods, but in reality they are
nothing.

9. But now,' after that ye have known God. No language
can express the base ingratitude of departing from God,
when he has once been known. What is it but to forsake,

1 Madey 0. “The Greek writers make use of these two particles for the
purpose of correcting what they have already said, and, as if it had not been
enough, of adding something more. Thus, Rom. viii. 34, and in Polybius.
Xeioiway in, warAROVD avayxeiov, “It would be useful, it would even be
necessary.” Kai yao &romov, waAXAOY 0, ws sigeiv, ddvverov, “It would be
absurd; it would even be impossible.” —Raphelius.

i
i
:

CHAP. Iv. 9. EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. L238

of our own accord, the light, the life, the fountain of all
benefits,—“ to forsake,” as Jeremiah complains, “ the foun-
tain of living waters, and hew out cisterns, broken cisterns,
that can hold no water!” (Jer. ii, 13.) Still farther to
heighten the blame, he corrects his language, and says, or
rather have been known by God ; for the greater the grace of
God is towards us, our guilt in despising it must be the heavier.
Paul reminds the Galatians whence they had derived the
knowledge of God. He affirms that they did not obtain
it by their own exertions, by the acuteness or industry
of their own minds, but because, when they were at the
farthest possible remove from thinking of him, God visited
them in his mercy. What is said of the Galatians may be
extended to all; for in all are fulfilled the words of Isaiah,
“Tam sought by them that asked not for me: I am found
by them that sought me not.” (Isaiah Ixv. 1.) The origin
of our calling is the free election of God, which predestinates
us to life before we are born. On this depends our calling,
our faith, our whole salvation.

How turn ye again? They could not turn again to cere-
monies which they had never practised. The expression is
figurative, and merely denotes, that to fall again into wicked
superstition, as if they had never received the truth of God,
was the height of folly. When he calls the ceremonies beg-
garly elements, he views them as out of Christ, and, what
is more, as opposed to Christ. To the fathers they were not
only profitable exercises and aids to piety, but efficacious
means of grace. But then their whole value lay in Christ,
and in the appointment of God. The false apostles, on the
other hand, neglecting the promises, endeavoured to oppose
the ceremonies to Christ, as if Christ alone were not suffi-
cient. That they should be regarded by Paul as worthless
trifles, cannot excite surprise; but of this I have already
spoken. The word bondage conveys a reproof for submit-
ting to be slaves."

1 «Par ce mot de Servir, il reprend la necessité, a laquelle ils s’astraig-
noyent d’observer les ceremonies.” ‘ By the word ‘bondage,’ he reproves
them for the necessity to which they had reduced themselves to observe
ceremonies.”

124 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. Iv. 11.

10. Ye observe days. Te adduces as an instance ene
description of “ elements,” the observance of days. No con-
demnation is here given to the observance of dates in the
arrangements of civil society. The order of nature out of
which this arises, is fixed and constant. How are months and
years computed, but by the revolution of the sun and moon ?
What distinguishes summer from winter, or spring from har-
vest, but the appointment of God,—an appointment which
was promised to continue to the end of the world? (Gen.
vill. 22.) The civil observation of days contributes not only
to agriculture and to matters of politics, and ordinary life,
but is even extended to the government of the church. Of
what nature, then, was the observation which Paul reproves ?
It was that which would bind the conscience, by religious
considerations, as if it were necessary to ‘the worship of God,
and which, as he expresses it in the Epistle to the Romans,
would make a distinction between one day and another.
(Rom. xiv. 5.)

When certain days are represented as holy in themselves,
when one day is distinguished from another on religious
grounds, when holy days are reckoned a part of divine wor-
ship, then days are improperly observed. The Jewish Sab-
bath, new moons, and other festivals, were earnestly pressed
by the false apostles, because they had been appointed by
the law. When we, in the present age, make a distinction
of days, we do not represent them as necessary, and thus lay
a snare for the conscience ; we do not reckon one day to be
more holy than another; we do not make days to be the
same thing with religion and the worship of God ; but merely
attend to the preservation of order and harmony. The ob-
servance of days among us is a free service, and void of all
superstition.

11. Lest I have bestowed wpon you labour in vain. The
expression is harsh, and must have filled the Galatians with
alarm ; for what hope was left to them, if Paul’s labour had
been in vain? Some have expressed astonishment that Paul
should be so powerfully affected by the observance of
days, as almost to designate it a subversion of the whole
gospel. But if we carefully weigh the whole, we shall see

cHaP. Iv. 1]. EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. 125
that there was just reason; and that the false apostles
not only attempted to lay the yoke of Jewish bondage on
the neck of the church, but filled their minds with wicked
superstitions. To bring back Christianity to Judaism, was in
itself no light evil ; but far more serious mischief was done,
when, in opposition to the grace of Christ, they set up holi-
days as meritorious performances, and pretended that this
mode of worship would propitiate the divine favour. When
such doctrines were received, the worship of God was cor-
rupted, the grace of Christ made void, and the freedom of
conscience oppressed.

Do we wonder that Paul should be afraid that he had
laboured in vain, that the gospel would henceforth be of no
service? And since that very description of impiety is now
supported by Popery, what sort of Christ or what sort of
gospel does it retain? So far as respects the binding of
consciences, they enforce the observance of days with not
less severity than was done by Moses. They consider holi-
days, not less than the false apostles did, to be a part of the
worship of God, and even connect with them the diabolical
notion of merit. The Papists must therefore be held equally
censurable with the false apostles ; and with this additional
aggravation, that, while the former proposed to keep those
days which had been appointed by the law of God, the latter
enjoin days, rashly stamped with their own seal, to be ob-
served as most holy.

12. Brethren, I beseech you, be
as Lam ; for I am as ye are: ye
have not injured me at all.

13. Ye know how, through infir-
mity of the flesh, 1 preached the
gospel unto you at the first.

14. And my temptation which
was in my flesh ye despised not, nor
rejected; but received me as an
angel of God, even as Christ Je-
sus.

15. Where is then the blessed-
ness ye spake of? for I bear you
record, that, if it had been possible,
ye would have plucked out your own
eyes, and have given them to me.

12. Estote ut ego; quia ego quo-
que sum ut vos. Fratres, rogo vos;
nihil mihi fecistis injurize.

13. Novistis autem, quod per in-
firmitatem carnis evangelizaverim
vobis prius ;

14. Et experimentum mei, quod
fuit in carne mea, non contempsis-
tis, neque respuistis; sed tanquam
angelum Dei suscepistis me, tan-
quam Christum Iesum.

15. Ubi igitur beatitudo vestra ?
testimonium enim reddo vobis, quod,
si possibile fuisset, etiam oculos ves-
tros effossos dedissetis mihi.

126

16. Am I therefore become your
enemy, because I tell you the truth ?

17. They zealously affect you,
but not well; yea, they would ex-
clude you, that ye might affect
them.

18. But ¢t zs good to be zealous-
ly affected always in @ good thing,
and not only when I am present
with you.

19. My little children, of whom
I travail in birth again until Christ
be formed in you,

20. I desire to be present with
you now, and to change my voice;
for I stand in doubt of you.

COMMENTARIES ON THE

CHAP. Iv. 12.

16. Ergoéne vera loquendo inimi-
cus sum vobis factus ?

17. Aimulantur vos, non bene;
imo excludere vos volunt, ut ipsos
zeemulemini.

18. Bonum autem est smulari
in bono semper, et non tantum
quum. preesens sum apud vos.

19. Filioli mei, quos iterum par-
turio, donee formetur in vobis Chris-
tus.

20. Vellem autem nune coram
esse yvobiscum, et mutare vocem
meam; quia anxius sum in vobis.

12. BeasI am. Waving till now spoken roughly, he be-
gins to adopt a milder strain. The former harshness had
been more than justified by the heinousness of the offence ;
but as he wished to do good, he resolves to adopt a style of
conciliation. It is the part of a wise pastor to consider, not
what those who have wandered may justly deserve, but what
may be the likeliest method of bringing them back to the
right path. He must “ be instant in season, out of season ;
reprove, rebuke, exhort, with all long-suffering and doctrine.”
(2 Tim. iv. 2.) Following the method which he had recom-
mended to Timothy, he leaves off chiding, and begins to
use entreaties. J beseech you, he says, and calls them
brethren, to assure them that no bitterness had mingled
with his reproofs.

The words, be as I am, refer to the affection of the mind.
As he endeavours to accommodate himself to them, so he
wishes that they would do the like by him in return. For
Lamas ye are. “ AsI have no other object in view than
to promote your benefit, so it is proper that you should
be prevailed on to adopt moderate views, and to lend a will-
ing, obedient ear to my instructions.” And here again
pastors are reminded of their duty to come down, as far as
they can, to the people, and to study the various disposi-
tions of those with whom they have to deal, if they wish to
obtain compliance with their message. The proverb still
holds: “ to be loved, you must be lovely.”

Ye have not injured me at all. This is intended to remove

CHAP. IV. 14, EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS, 127

the suspicion which might have rendered his former reproofs
more disagreeable. If we think that a person is speaking
under a sense of injury, or revenging a private quarrel, we
turn away our minds from him entirely, and are sure to tor-
ture whatever he says into an unfavourable interpretation.
Paul therefore meets the rising prejudice by saying, “So
far as respects myself, I have no cause to complain of you.
It is not on my own account, nor from any hostility to you,
that I feel warmly ; and therefore, if I use strong language,
it must arise from some other cause than hatred or anger.”

13. Ye know that, through infirmity of the flesh. He re-
calls to their recollection the friendly and respectful manner
in which they had received him, and he does so for two
reasons. First, to let them know that he loved them, and
thus to gain a ready ear to all that he says; and secondly,
to encourage them, that, as they had begun well, they would
go on in the same course. This mention of past occurrences,
then, while it is an expression of his kind regards, is in-
tended likewise as an exhortation to act in the same manner
as they had done at an earlier period.

By infirmity of the flesh he means here, as in other places,
what had a tendency to make him appear mean and despised.
flesh denotes his outward appearance, which the word injir-
mity describes to have been contemptible. Such was Paul
when he came among them, without show, without pretence,
without worldly honours or rank, without everything that
could gain him respect or estimation in the eyes of men.
Yet all this did not prevent the Galatians from giving him
the most honourable reception. The narrative contributes
powerfully to his argument? for what was there in Paul to
awaken their esteem or veneration, but the power of the
Holy Spirit alone? Under what pretext, then, will they
now begin to despise that power? Next, they are charged
with inconsistency, since no subsequent occurrence in the
life of Paul could entitle them to esteem him less than be-
fore. But this he leaves to be considered by the Galatians,
contenting himself with indirectly suggesting it as a subject
of consideration.

14, My temptation. That is, “Though ye perceived me

128 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. IV. 14,

to be, in a worldly point of view, a contemptible person, yet
ye did not reject me.” He calls it a temptation or trial, be-
cause it was a thing not unknown or hidden, and he did not
himself attempt to conceal it, as is usually done by ambi-
tious men, who are ashamed of anything about them that
may lower them in public estimation. It frequently happens
that unworthy persons receive applause, before their true
character has been discovered, and shortly afterwards are
dismissed with shame and disgrace. But widely different
was the case of Paul, who had used no disguise to impose
on the Galatians, but had frankly told them what he was.

As an angel of God. In this light every true minister of
Christ ought to be regarded. As God employs the services
of angels for communicating to us his favours, so godly
teachers are divinely raised up to administer to us the most
excellent of all blessings, the doctrine of eternal salvation.
Not without good reason are they, by whose hands God dis-
penses to us such a treasure, compared to angels: for they
too are the messengers of God, by whose witout God speaks
to us. And this argument is used by Malachi. “ The
priest’s lips should kee knowledge, and they should seek
the law at his mouth, for he is the messenger of the Lord of
hosts.” (Mal. ii. 7.)

But the apostle rises still higher, and adds, even as Christ
Jesus; for the Lord himself commands that his ministers
shall be viewed in the same light as himself. ‘“ He that
heareth you heareth me, and he that despiseth you despiseth
me.” (Luke x. 16.) Nor is this wonderful ; for it is in his
name that they discharge their embassy, and thus they hold
the rank of him in whose room they act. Such is the highly
commendatory language which reveals to us at once the
majesty of the gospel, and the honourable character of its
ministry. If it be the command of Christ that his ministers
shall be thus honoured, it is certain that contempt of them
proceeds from the instigation of the devil ; and indeed they
never can be despised so long as the word of God is esteemed.
In vain do the Papists attempt to hold out this pretext for
their own arrogant pretensions. As they are plainly the
enemies of Christ, how absurd is it that they should assume

CHAP. Iv. 16. EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. 129

the garb, and take to themselves the character, of Christ’s
servants! If they wish to obtain the honours of angels, let
them perform the duty of angels: if they wish that we should
listen to them as to Christ, let them convey to us faithfully
his pure word.

15. Where is then your blessedness ? Paul had made them
happy, and he intimates that the pious affection with which
they formerly regarded him was an expression of their hap-
piness. But now, by allowing themselves to be deprived of
the services of him to whom they ought to have attributed
whatever knowledge they possessed of Christ, they gave evi-
dence that they were unhappy. This hint was intended to
produce keen reflection. ‘What? Shall all this be lost?
Will you forfeit all the advantage of having once heard
Christ speaking by my lips? Shall the foundation in the
faith which you received from me be to no purpose? Shall
your falling away now destroy the glory of your obedience
in the presence of God?’ In short, by despising the pure
doctrine which they had embraced, they throw away, of
their own accord, the blessedness which they had obtained,
and draw down upon themselves the destruction in which
their unhappy career must terminate.

For I bear you record, It is not enough that pastors be
respected, if they are not also loved; for both are necessary
to make the doctrine they preach be fully relished ; and both,
the apostle declares, had existed among the Galatians. He
had already spoken of their respect for him, and he now
speaks of their love. To be willing to pluck out their own
eyes, if it had been necessary, was an evidence of very extra-
ordinary love, stronger than the willingness to part with
life.

16. dm I therefore become your enemy? He now returns
to speak about himself. It was entirely their own fault, he
says, that they had changed their minds. Though it isa
common remark, that truth begets hatred, yet, except through
the malice and wickedness of those who cannot endure to
hear it, truth is never hateful. While he vindicates himself
from any blame in the unhappydifference between them, he
indirectly censures their ingratitude. Yet still his advice is

I

130 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. Iv. 17.

friendly, not to reject, on rash or light grounds, the apostle-
ship of one whom they had formerly considered to be worthy
of their warmest love. What can be more unbecoming than
that the hatred of truth should change enemies into friends?
His aim then is, not so much to upbraid, as to move them
to repentance.

17. They are jealous of you. He comes at length to the
false apostles, and does more by silence to make them odious,
than if he had given their names; for we usually abstain
from naming those whose very names produce in us dislike
and aversion. He mentions the immoderate ambition of.
those men, and warns the Galatians not to be led astray
by their appearance of zeal. The comparison is borrowed
from honourable love, as contrasted with those professions
of regard which arise from unhallowed desires. Jealousy,
on the part of the false apostles, ought not to impose upon
them ; for it proceeded not from right zeal, but from an
improper desire of obtaining reputation,—a desire most un-
like that holy jealousy of which Paul speaks to the Corin-
thians. “For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy ;
for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present
you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But I fear lest by any
means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so
your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is
in Ohrist.”. (2° Cor, ‘xv 2)'3.)

To expose still more fully their base arts, he corrects his
language. Yea, they would exclude you.’ They not only
endeavour to gain your affections, but, as they cannot obtain

"Kors y%e nah Cnr0s ayudos, oray Tis oUrw CnAol, wore pipnoacbas TAY ager hy 2ock
nai Cnros Tovneos, Wore txPaAAELY TNS Beers roy xaroobouyre.: 6 On wal avrol voy
Erin eseauat, THs pky TeAting yrorws exPaADEs Sérovres, sis 0 TAY AngwrngedLevny
xa) yobov ayarysiv, di’ ovdey Eregov, BAN iva abrol mv tv rakes xabwvras Didacndrwy,
buds D8 rods viv bpnaorigous abray dvras, tv rakes naracrncwos mabnrwy ToUTS yag
2jrwoev cixay, Ive adrous Cnravre. ;

“ There is a good zeal, when one emulates in such a manner as to imi-
tate virtue; and there is a bad zeal, which ‘drives away’ from virtue
one who is acting right. And this is what they are now attempting to do,
when they wish to ‘drive away’ from perfect knowledge, and to lead
them to that which is mutilated and spurious, for no other reason than
that they may occupy the ranks of teachers, and that you, who are higher
than themselves, may be placed by them in the rank of scholars; for this

is what he meant by saying, ‘that ye may emulate them.’”—Chry-
sostom.

CHAP. Lv. 19. EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. havik

possession of you by any other means, they endeavour to
kindle strife between us. When you have been thrown as
it were destitute, they expect that you will yield yourselves
up to them; for they perceive that, so long as there shall
be maintained between us a religious harmony, they can
have no influence. This stratagem is frequently resorted to
by all the ministers of Satan. By producing in the people
a dislike of their pastor, they hope afterwards to draw them
to themselves ; and, having disposed of the rival, to obtain
quiet possession. A careful and judicious examination of
their conduct will discover that in this way they always
begin.

18, But tt ts good to be the object of jealousy. It is hard to
say whether this refers to himself or to the Galatians. Good
ministers are exhorted to cherish holy jealousy in watching
over the churches, “that they may present them as a chaste
virgin to Christ.” (2 Cor. xi. 2.) If it refers to Paul, the
meaning will be: “I confess that I also am jealous of you,
but with a totally different design: and Ido so as much
when J am absent as when I am present, because I do not
seek my own advantage.” But Iam rather inclined to view
it as referring to the Galatians, though in this case it will
admit of more than one interpretation, It may mean:
“They indeed attempt to withdraw your affections from me,
that, when you are thrown destitute, you may go over to
them ; but do you, who loved me while I was present, con-
tinue to cherish the same regard for me when I am absent.”
But a more correct explanation is suggested by the opposite
senses which the word fmAovcOar bears. As, in the former
verse, he had used the word jealous in a bad sense, denoting
an improper way of accomplishing an object, so here he uses
it in a good sense, denoting a zealous imitation of the good
qualities of another. By condemning improper jealousy,
he now exhorts the Galatians to engage in a different sort
of competition, and that, too, while he was absent.

19. My little children. The word children is still softer
and more affectionate than brethren; and the diminutive,
little children, is an expression, not of contempt, but of
endearment, though, at the same time, it suggests the ten-

132 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. Iv. 19.

der years of those who ought now to have arrived at full
age. (Heb. v.12.) The style is abrupt, which is usually
the case with highly pathetic passages. Strong feeling,
from the difficulty of finding adequate expression, breaks off
our words when half uttered, while the powerful emotion
chokes the utterance.

Of whom I travail in birth again. This phrase is added,
to convey still more fully his vehement affection, which
endured, on their account, the throes and pangs of a mother.
It denotes likewise his anxiety; for “a woman, when she
is in travail, hath sorrow, because her hour is come; but as
soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no
more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world.”
(John xvi. 25.) The Galatians had already been conceived
and brought forth; but, after their revolt, they must now
be begotten a second time.

Until Christ be formed in you. By these words he soothes
their anger; for he does not set aside the former birth, but
says that they must be again nourished in the womb, as if
they had not yet been fully formed. That Christ should be
formed in us is the same thing with our being formed in
Christ ; for we are born so as to become new creatures in
him ; and he, on the other hand, is born in us, so that we
live his life. Since the true image of Christ, through the
superstitions introduced by the false apostles, had been de-
faced, Paul labours to restore that image in all its perfection
and brightness. This is done by the ministers of the gospel,
when they give “milk to babes, and strong meat to them
that are of full age,” (Heb. v. 18, 14,) and, in short, ought
to be their employment during the whole course of their
preaching. But Paul here compares himself to a woman in
labour, because the Galatians were not yet completely born.

This is a remarkable passage for illustrating the efficacy
of the Christian ministry. True, we are “born of God,”
(1 John iii. 9;) but, because he employs a minister and
preaching as his instruments for that purpose, he is pleased
to ascribe to them that work which Himself performs,
through the power of his Spirit, in co-operation with the
labours of man. Let us always attend to this distinction,

coHap. Iv. 20. EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. 133

that, when a minister is contrasted with God, he is nothing,
and can do nothing, and is utterly useless ; but, because the
Holy Spirit works efficaciously by means of him, he comes
to be regarded and praised as an agent. Still, it is not what
he can do in himself, or apart from God, but what God does
by him, that is there described. If ministers wish to do
anything, let them labour to form Christ, not to form them-
selves, in their hearers. The writer is now so oppressed with
erief, that he almost faints from exhaustion without com-
pleting his sentence.

20. I would wish to be present with you now. This is a most
serious expostulation, the complaint of a father so perplexed
by the misconduct of his sons, that he looks around him for
advice, and knows not to what hand to turn.’ He wishes
to have an opportunity of personally addressing them,
because we thus obtain a better idea of what is adapted to
present circumstances ; because, according as the hearer is
affected, according as he is submissive or obstinate, we are
enabled to regulate our discourse. But something more
than this was meant by the desire to change the voice.” He
was prepared most cheerfully to assume a variety of forms,
and even, if the case required it, to frame a new language.
This is a course which pastors ought most carefully to follow.
They must not be entirely guided by their own inclinations,
or by the bent of their own genius, but must accommodate
themselves, as far as the case will allow, to the capacity of
the people,—with this reservation, however, that they are

' axogovwas ty yuiv. By these words the apostle undoubtedly expresses
more than that he was‘in doubt about’ the Galatians, and was at a
loss what he should say about them; for in the preceding verse he had
given utterance to the vehement emotion of his mind. With very nearly
the same kind of emphasis does this word occur in the Septuagint, at Gen.
Xxxil. 7, where it is said, ‘And Jacob was greatly afraid. and was in
deep anxiety.’ The concluding words are translated 22) trogeiro,”_
Keuchenius.

* «To speak sometimes gently, and sometimes harshly, 2s the case might
demand.”—Luther. ‘#«»4 signifies not only a voice, but the thing that is
spoken, (Ailian, V. H., p. 347,) whether it be by word of mouth, or by letter.
And therefore, when the apostle says that he ‘ desired to change his voice,’
he means, that he should be glad to be present and converse with them
personally, instead of writing to them at a distance; because then he could

be more fully informed of their true state, and better able to know how to
order his discourse to them.”— Chandler.

L134 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. Iv. 22.

to proceed no farther than conscience shall dictate,’ and
that no departure from integrity shall be made, in order to

gain the favour of the people.

21. Tell me, ye that desire to be
under the law, do ye not hear the
law?

22. For it is written, that Abra-
ham had two sons; the one by a
bond maid, the other by a free
woman.

23. But he who was of the bond
woman was born after the flesh ; but
he of the free woman was by pro-
mise.

24. Which things are an allegory:
for these are the two covenants;
the one from the mount Sinai, which
gendereth to bondage, which is Agar.

25. For this Agar is mount Sinai
in Arabia, and answereth to Jeru-
salem which now is, and is in bond-
age with her children.

26. But Jerusalem which is above
is free, which is the mother of us
all.

21. Dicite mihi, qui sub Lege
vultis esse, Legem non auditis?

22. Scriptum est enim, quod
Abraham duos filios habuit; unum
ex ancilla, alterum ex libera.

23. Sed qui erat ex ancilla, se-
cundum carnem erat genitus: qui
vero ex libera, per promissionen).

24. Que allegorica sunt; nam
duz sunt pactiones, una quidem a
monte Sina, que in servitutem ge-
nerat; ea est Agar.

25. Nam Agar, Sina mons est
in Arabia; ex adverso autem re-
spondet ei que nunc est Ierusalem ;
servit enim cum liberis suis.

26. Que autem sursum est [eru-
salem, libera est, que mater est
nostra omnium.

21. Tell me. Having given exhortations adapted to touch

the feelings, he follows up his former doctrine by an illus-
tration of great beauty. Viewed simply as an argument, it
would not be very powerful ; but, as a confirmation added to
a most satisfactory chain of reasoning, it is not unworthy of
attention,

To be under the law, signifies here, to come under the yoke
of the law, on the condition that God will act toward you
according to the covenant of the law, and that you, in
return, bind yourself to keep the law. In any other sense
than this, all believers are under the law; but the apostle
treats, as we have already said, of the law with its ap-
pendages.

22. For it is written. No man who has a choice given
him will be so mad as to despise freedom, and prefer slavery.
But here the apostle teaches us, that they who are under the
law are slaves. Unhappy men! who willingly choose this

* “Seulement quiils regardent de ne faire chose contre ’honneur de

Dieu et leur conscience.” “Only Jet them beware of doing anything
against the honour of God and their own conscience.” :

r

CHAP. Iv. 22. EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. 135

condition, when God desires to make them free. He gives
a representation of this in the two sons of Abraham, one of
whom, the son of a slave, held by his mother’s condition ;)
while the other, the son of a free woman, obtained the in-
heritance. He afterwards applies the whole history to his
purpose, and illustrates it in an elegant manner.

In the first place, as the other party armed themselves
with the authority. of the law, the apostle quotes the law on
the other side. The law was the name usually given to the
Five Books of Moses. Again, as the history which he quotes
appeared to have no bearing on the question, he gives to it
an allegorical interpretation. But as the apostle declares that
these things are allegorized, (addnyopovpeva,) Origen, and
many others along with him, have seized the occasion of
torturing Scripture, in every possible manner, away from the
true sense. They concluded that the literal sense is too
mean and poor, and that, under the outer bark of the letter,
there lurk deeper mysteries, which cannot be extracted but
by beating out allegories. And this they had no difficulty
in accomplishing ; for speculations which appear to be in-
genious have always been preferred, and always will be pre-
ferred, by the world to solid doctrine.

With such approbation the licentious system gradually
attained such a height, that he who handled Scripture for his
own amusement not only was suffered to pass unpunished,
but even obtained the highest applause. For many centuries
no man was considered to be ingenious, who had not the skill
and daring necessary for changing into a variety of curious
shapes the sacred word of God. This was undoubtedly a
contrivance of Satan to undermine the authority of Scrip-
ture, and to take away from the reading of it the true ad-
vantage. God visited this profanation by a just judgment,
when he suffered the pure meaning of the Scripture to be
buried under false interpretations.

Scripture, they say, is fertile, and thus produces a variety
of meanings.” I acknowledge that Scripture is a most rich

1“ Laservile condition de samere.” “His mother’s condition as a slave.”
*« Et pour ceste cause elle engendre plusieurs sens et de diverses sortes.”
** And therefore it produces many meanings, and of various kinds.”

136 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. Iv. 22.

and inexhaustible fountain of all wisdom; but I deny that
its fertility consists in the various meanings which any man,
at his pleasure, may assign. Let us know, then, that the
true meaning of Scripture is the natural and obvious mean-
ing; and let us embrace and abide by it resolutely. Let us
not only neglect as doubtful, but boldly set aside as deadly
corruptions, those pretended expositions, which lead us away
from the natural meaning.

But what reply shall we make to Paul’s assertion, that
these things are allegorical? Paul certainly does not mean
that Moses wrote the history for the purpose of being turned
into an allegory, but points out in what way the history may
be made to answer the present subject. This is done by
observing a figurative representation of the Church there
delineated. And a mystical interpretation of this sort
(avaywyn) was not inconsistent with the true and literal
meaning, when a comparison was drawn between the Church
and the family of Abraham. As the house of Abraham.was
then a true Church, so it is beyond all doubt that the prin-
cipal and most memorable events which-happened in it are
so many types to us. As in circumcision, in sacrifices, in
the whole Levitical priesthood, there was an allegory, as
there is an allegory at the present day in our sacraments,—
so was there likewise in the house of Abraham; but this
does not involve a departure from the literal meaning. In
a word, Paul adduces the history, as containing a figurative’
representation of the two covenants in the two wives of
Abraham, and of the two nations in his two sons. And
Chrysostom, indeed, acknowledges that the word allegory
points out the present application to be (xkataypnous) |

1 « A eatachresis borrows the name of one thing to express another ;
which thing, though it has a name of its own, yet, under a borrowed name,
surprises us with novelty, or infuses into our discourses a bold and daring
energy. The Sacred Scriptures will furnish us with many instances of
this trope. Ley. xxvi. 30,—‘ And I will cast your carcases upon the car-
cases of your idols; that is, upon the ruins of your idols, which shall be
as much destroyed as the body is when it is slain, and become a dead car-
ease. So Deut. xxxii. 14; Ps. lxxx. 5; Hos. xiv. 2. But the boldest cata-
chresis, perhaps, in all the Holy Scriptures, is in 1 Cor.i. 25. ‘ Because
the foolishness of God, says the apostle, ‘is wiser than men, and the weak-
ness of God is stronger than men;’ that is, what men are apt to account

CHAP. Iv. 24. EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. 137

different from the natural meaning; which is perfectly
true.

23. But he who was of the bond woman. Both were sons
of Abraham according to the flesh ; but in Isaac there was
this peculiarity, that he had the promise of grace. In Ish-
mael there was nothing besides nature; in Isaac there was
the election of God, signified in part by the manner of his
birth, which was not in the ordinary course, but miraculous.
Yet there is an indirect reference to the calling of the Gen-
tiles, and the rejection of the Jews: for the latter boast of
their ancestry, while the former, without any human inter-
ference, are become the spiritual offspring of Abraham.

24. These are the two covenants. I have thought it better
to adopt this translation, in order not to lose sight of the
beauty of the comparison ; for Paul compares the two &:a-
Ojxav to two mothers, and to employ testamentum, (a testa-
ment,) which is a neuter noun, for denoting a mother, would
be harsh. The word pactio (a covenant) appears to be, on
that account, more appropriate; and indeed the desire of
obtaining perspicuity, as well as elegance, has led me to
make this choice!

The comparison is now formally introduced. As in the
house of Abraham there were two mothers, so are there also
in the Church of God. Doctrine is the mother of whom we
_are born, and is twofold, Legal and Evangelical. The legal
mother, whom Hagar resembles, gendereth to bondage.
Sarah, again, represents the second, which gendereth to
freedom ; though Paul begins higher, and makes our first
mother Sinai, and our second, Jerusalem. The two cove-
nants, then, are the mothers, of whom children unlike one
foolishness in God surpasses their wisdom, and what they may be ready
to misconstrue as weakness in God, excels all their power.”-—Gibbons’s
Rhetoric.

1 To a Latin scholar the author’s meaning is obvious enough. But it
may be proper to apprize the English reader, that pactio (a covenant) is a
feminine noun, and, on that account, is pronounced to be more natural and
graceful, in a metaphorical description of a mother, than testamentum, (a
testament, ) which, being a neuter noun, sounds harshly in this connection.
In that point of view, the preference is little else than a matter of taste;
but, on far higher grounds, “ covenant” is a more faithful translation than

“testament ;” and a careful investigation of the meaning of 3:aé4xn would
contribute greatly to elucidate many passages of Scripture.—Ed,

138 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. IV. 24.

another are born ; for the legal covenant makes slaves, and
the evangelical covenant makes freemen.

But all this may, at first sight, appear absurd ; for there ©
are none of God’s children who are not born to freedom, and
therefore the comparison does not apply. I answer, what
Paul says is true in two respects; for the law formerly
brought forth its disciples, (among whom were included the
holy prophets, and other believers,) to slavery, though not to
permanent slavery, but because God placed them for a time
under the law as ‘“‘a schoolmaster.”’ (Gal. ii. 25.) Under
the vail of ceremonies, and of the whole economy by which
they were governed, their freedom was concealed: to the
outward eye nothing but slavery appeared. “ Ye have not,”
says Paul to the Romans, “received the spirit of bondage
again to fear.” (Rom, viii. 15.) Those holy fathers, though
inwardly they were free in the sight of God, yet in outward
appearance differed nothing from slaves, and thus resembled
their mother’s condition. But the doctrine of the gospel
bestows upon its children perfect freedom as soon as they
are born, and brings them up in a liberal manner.

Paul does not, I acknowledge, speak of that kind of chil-
dren, as the context will show. By the children of Sinai, it
will afterwards be explained, are meant hypocrites, who are
at length expelled from the Church of God, and deprived of
the inheritance. What, then, is the gendering to bondage,
which forms the subject of the present dispute? It denotes
those who make a wicked abuse of the law, by finding in it
nothing but what tends to slavery. Not so the pious fathers,
who lived under the Old Testament ; for their slavish birth
by the law did not hinder them from having Jerusalem for
their mother in spirit. But those who adhere to the bare
law, and do not acknowledge it to be “a schoolmaster to
bring them to Christ,” (Gal. ii. 24,) but rather make it a
hinderance to prevent their coming to him, are the Ishmaelites
born to slavery.

It will again be objected, why does the apostle say that
such persons are born of God’s covenant, and are considered

1 « C’est a dire, les conduisoit comme petits enfans.” That is, treated
them like little children.”

CHAP, Iv. 25. EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. 139

to belong to the Church? I answer, strictly speaking, they
are not God’s children, but are degenerate and spurious, and
are disclaimed by God, whom they falsely call their Father.
They receive this name in the Church, not because they are
members of it in reality, but because for a time they pre-
sume to occupy that place, and impose on men by the dis-
guise which they wear. The apostle here views the Church,
as it appears in this world: but on this subject we shall
afterwards speak.

25. For Agar is mount Sinai.’ I shall not waste time in
refuting the expositions of other writers ; for Jerome’s con-
jecture, that Mount Sinai had two names, is trifling ; and the
disquisitions of Chrysostom about the agreement of the
names are equally unworthy of notice. Sinai is called
Hagar,” because it is a type or figure, as the Passover was
Christ. The situation of the mountain is mentioned by way
of contempt. It lies in Arabia, beyond the limits of the
holy land, by which the eternal inheritance was prefigured.
The wonder is, that in so familiar a matter they erred so
egregiously.

And answers, on the other hand. The Vulgate translates
it, is joined (conjunctus est) to Jerusalem; and Erasmus
makes it, borders on (confinis) Jérusalem ; but I have adopted
the phrase, on the other hand, (ex adverso,) in order to -
avoid obscurity. For the apostle certainly does not refer to

1 « Car Agar est la montagne de Sina en Arabie, et est correspondante
a Terusalem; ou, Sina est une montagne en Arabie, correspondante a
Terusalem.” “For Agar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to
Jerusalem ; or, Sinai is a mountain in Arabia, which corresponds to Jeru-
salem.”

* «Several critics have thought it so extraordinary, that they have
attempted to alter it from mere conjecture, as may be seen in Bowyer’s
‘ Critical Conjectures.’ But no man, who knew that the Arabic word
‘Hagar’ meant a rock, could think of making an alteration in this pas-
sage; for it is obvious that +d “Ayzg, in the neuter gender, cannot signify
the woman Hagar; and Paul has not been guilty of a grammatical error,
since the passage must be translated, ‘ The word Hagar denotes Mount
Sinai in Arabia.’ ”—Michaelis.

“That this was an appellation of Sinai among the people of the sur-
rounding country, we have the testimony of Chrysostom and the ancient
commentators, which is also confirmed by the accounts of modern travel-
lers. And it might well have it, since 130 (hagar) in Arabia signifies a

rock, or rocky mountain ; and as Sinai is remarkably such, it might be
xar’ oxny called 70 a ”__Bloomfield.

140 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. Iv. 26.

nearness, or relative position, but to resemblance, as respects
the present comparison. The word, cvctovya, which is
translated corresponding to, denotes those things which are
so arranged as to have a mutual relation to each other, and
a similar word, cvotovxia, when applied to trees and other
objects, conveys the idea of their following in regular order.
Mount Sinai is said (cvctouyetv) to correspond to that which
is now Jerusalem, in the same sense as Aristotle says that
Rhetoric is (avtéctpodos) the counterpart to Logic, by a me-
taphor borrowed from lyric compositions, which were usually
arranged in two parts, so adapted as to be sung in harmony.
In short, the word, cvarovyet, corresponds, means nothing
more than that it belongs to the same class.

But why does Paul compare the present Jerusalem with
Mount Sinai? Though I was once of a different opinion,
yet I agree with Chrysostom and Ambrose, who explain it
as referring to the earthly Jerusalem, and who interpret the
words, which now is, 7h viv ‘Iepovcadnu, as marking the
slavish doctrine and worship into which it had degenerated.
It ought to have been a lively image of the new Jerusalem,
and a representation of its character. But such as it now is,
it is rather related to Mount Sinai. Though the two places
may be widely distant from each other, they are perfectly
alike in all their most important features. This is a heavy
reproach against the Jews, whose real mother was not Sarah,
but the spurious Jerusalem, twin sister of Hagar; who were
therefore slaves born of a slave, though they haughtily
boasted that they were the sons of Abraham.

26. But Jerusalem, which is above. The Jerusalem which
he calls above, or heavenly, is not contained in heaven ; nor
are we to seek for it out of this world; for the Church is
spread over the whole world, and is a “ stranger and pilgrim
on the earth.” (Heb. xi. 13.) Why then is it said to be
from heaven? Because it originates in heavenly grace ; for
the sons of God are “ born, not of blood, nor of the will of
the flesh, nor of the will of man,” (John 1. 13,) but by the
power of the Holy Spirit. The heavenly Jerusalem, which
derives its origin from heaven, and dwells above by faith,
is the mother of believers. To the Church, under God, we

CHAP. Iv. 27. EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS.

14]
owe it that we are “born again, not of corruptible seed, but
of incorruptible,” (1 Pet. i. 23,) and from her we obtain the
milk and the food by which we are afterwards nourished.

Such are the reasons why the Church is called the
mother of believers. And certainly he who refuses to be a
son of the Church in vain desires to have God as his Father ;
for it is only through the instrumentality of the Church that
we are “born of God,’ (1 John iii. 9,) and brought up
through the various stages of childhood and youth, till we
arrive at manhood. This designation, “ the mother of us
all,” reflects the highest credit and the highest honour on
the Church. But the Papists are fools and twice children,
who expect to give us uneasiness by producing these words ;
for their mother is an adulteress, who brings forth to death
the children of the devil ; and how foolish is the demand,
that the children of God should surrender themselves to her
to be cruelly slain! Might not the synagogue of Jerusalem
at that time have assumed such haughty pretensions, with
far higher plausibility than Rome at the present day? and
yet we see how Paul strips her of every honourable dis-
tinction, and consigns her to the lot of Hagar.

27. For it is written, Rejoice,

thou barren that bearest not; break
forth and cry, thou that travailest
not: for the desolate hath many
more children than she which hath
an husband.

28. Now we, brethren, as Isaac
was, are the children of promise.

29. But as then he that was born
after the flesh persecuted him that
was born after the Spirit, even so
it is now.

30. Nevertheless, what saith the
scripture? Cast out the bond wo-
man and her son: for the son of
the bond woman shall not be heir
with the son of the free woman.

31. So then, brethren, we are not
children of the bond woman, but of
the free.

27. For itis written.

27. Scriptum est enim: Exulta,
sterilis, que non paris; erumpe et
clama, que non parturis; quia
plures erunt liberi desertae quam
habentis maritum. (les. liv. 1.)

28. Nos autem, fratres, secundum
Isaac, promissionis sumus filii. (Rom.
i, 7: )

29. Sed quemadmodum tune,
qui secundum carnem erat genitus,
persequebatur eum qui secundum
Spiritum genitus erat ; sic et nunc.

30. Sed quid dicit Scriptura?
Bjice ancillam, et filium ejus; non
enim heereditatem obtinebit filius
ancille cum filio libere. (Gen.
xxi. 10.)

31. Ergo, fratres, non sumus an-
cillee filii, sed liberee.

The apostle proves, by a quotation

142 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. lv. 29.

from Isaiah, that the lawful sons of the Church are born
according to the promise. The passage is in the 54th chap-
ter, where the prophet speaks of the kingdom of Christ
and the calling of the Gentiles, and promises to the barren
wife and the widow a numerous offspring; for it is on this
ground that he exhorts the Church to “sing” and “ re-
joice.” The design of the apostle, let it be carefully
remarked, is to deprive the Jews of all claim to that spiri-
tual Jerusalem to which the prophecy relates. Isaiah
proclaims, that her children shall be gathered out of all the
nations of the earth, and not by any preparation of hers,
but by the free grace and blessing of God.

He next concludes that we become the sons of God by
promise, after the example (cata Icaax) of Isaac, and that
in no other way do we obtain this honour. To readers little
skilled or practised in the examination of Scripture, this
reasoning may appear inconclusive ; because they do not
hold the most undoubted of all principles, that all the pro-
mises, being founded on the Messiah, are of free grace. It
was because the apostle took this for granted, that he so
fearlessly contrasted the promise with the law.

29. As then, he that was born after the flesh. THe denounces
the cruelty of the false apostles, who wantonly insulted pious
persons that placed all their confidence in Christ. There
was abundant need that the uneasiness of the oppressed
should be soothed by consolation, and that the cruelty of
their oppressors should be severely checked. It is not won-
derful, he says, that the children of the law, at the present
day, do what Ishmael their father at first did, who, trusting
to his being the first-born, persecuted Isaac the true heir.
With the same proud disdain do his posterity now, on account
of outward ceremonies, circumcision, and the various services
of the law, molest and vaunt over the lawful sons of God.
The Spirit is again contrasted with the flesh, that is, the eall-
ing of God with human appearance. (1 Sam. xvi. 7.) So
the disguise is admitted to be possessed by the followers of
the Law and of works, but the reality is claimed for those
who rely on the calling of God alone, and depend upon his
grace.

CHAP. IV. 29. EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. 143

Persecuted. But persecution is nowhere mentioned, only
Moses says that Ishmael was PrI¥, (métzahék,) mocking,
(Gen. xxi. 9;) and by this participle he intimates that
Ishmael ridiculed his brother Isaac. The explanation offered
by some Jews, that this was a simple smile, is entirely in-
admissible ; for what cruelty would it have argued, that a
harmless smile should have been so fearfully revenged ?
There cannot then be a doubt that he maliciously en-
deavoured to provoke the child Isaac by reproachful
language.

But how widely distant is this from persecution ?? And
yet it is not idly or unguardedly that Paul enlarges on this
point. No persecution ought to distress us so much as to
see our calling attempted to be undermined by the re-
proaches of wicked men. Neither blows, nor scourging, nor
nails, nor thorns, occasioned to our Lord such intense suffer-
ing as that blasphemy : “ He trusted in God ; what availeth
it to him? for he is deprived of all assistance.” (Matt.
xxvii. 43.) There is more venom in this than in all perse-
cutions ; for how much more alarming is it that the grace of
Divine adoption shall be made void, than that this frail
life shall be taken from us? Ishmael did not persecute his
brother with the sword; but, what is worse, he treated him
with haughty disdain by trampling under foot the promise
of God. All persecutions arise from this source, that wicked
men despise and hate in the elect the grace of God ; a me-
morable instance of which we have in the history of Cain
and Abel. (Gen. iv. 8.)

This reminds us, that not only ought we to be filled with
horror at outward persecutions, when the enemies of religion

1 « The history tells us, that he laughed at, derided, and mocked him
to scorn, which is real persecution ; probably through pride, and the con-
ceit of being Abraham’s eldest son and heir.”—-Chandler. “ Aidéxw will
here denote injurious treatment of every kind, both in deeds and words.
And although the Mosaic history records only one instance of insulting
treatment,—namely, on Ishmael mocking Sarah, when she weaned Isaac,
(Gen. xxi. 9, 10,) yet when we consider the disappointment which both
Hagar and Ishmael must have felt on the birth of Isaac, it was not un-
natural for them to feel ill-will, and show it on every occasion, to the real
heir of the promise. And many such are recorded, from tradition, in the
Rabbinical writers.”—Bloomfield.

144 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. Iv. 30.

slay us with fire and sword; when they banish, imprison,
torture, or scourge ; but when they attempt, by their blas-
phemies, to make void our confidence, which rests on the
promises of God ; when they ridicule our salvation, when they
wantonly laugh to scorn the whole gospel. Nothing ought
to wound our minds so deeply as contempt of God, and re-
proaches cast upon his grace: nor is there any kind of per-
secution more deadly than when the salvation of the soul is
assailed. We who have escaped from the tyranny of the
Pope, are not called to encounter the swords of wicked men.
But how blind must we be, if we are not affected by that
spiritual persecution, in which they strive, by every method,
to extinguish that doctrine, from which we draw the breath
of life !—when they attack our faith by their blasphemies,
and shake not a few of the less informed! For my own
part, I am far more grieved by the fury of the Epicureans
than of the Papists. They do not attack us by open vio-
lence ; but, in proportion as the name of God is more dear to
me than my own life, the diabolical conspiracy which I see
in operation to extinguish all fear and worship of God, to
root out the remembrance of Christ, or to abandon it to the
jeers of the ungodly, cannot but rack my mind with greater
anxiety, than if a whole country were burning in one confla-
gration.

30. But what sath the Scripture? There was some con-
solation in knowing that we do but share the lot of our fa-
ther Isaac ; but it is a still greater consolation, when he adds,
that hypocrites, with all their boasting, can gain nothing
more than to be cast out of the spiritual family of Abraham ;
and that, to whatever extent they may harass us for a time,
the inheritance will certainly be ours. Let believers cheer
themselves with this consolation, that the tyranny of the
Ishmaelites will not last for ever. They appear to have
reached the highest pre-eminence, and, proud of their birth-
right, look down upon us with contempt ; but they will one
day be declared to be the descendants of Hagar, the sons of
a slave, and unworthy of the inheritance.

Let us be instructed by this beautiful passage, “ not to fret
ourselves because of evil-doers, neither be envious against

CHAP.IV.31. EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. 145

the workers of iniquity,” (Psalm xxxvii. 1,) when they hold
a temporary habitation and rank in the Church, but pa-
tiently to look for the end which awaits them. There are
many pretended Christians, or strangers, who hold a place
in the Church, but who afterwards give evidence of their
departure from the faith, as he who, proud of his birthright,
at first reigned, was cast out like a foreigner with the pos-
terity of Ishmael. Some censorious persons smile at Paul’s
simplicity, in comparing a woman’s passion, arising out of a
trifling quarrel, to a judgment of God. But they overlook
the decree of God, which took effect in such a manner, as to
make it manifest that the whole transaction was directed by
a heavenly providence. That Abraham should have been
commanded to humour his wife (Gen. xxi. 12) entirely in
the matter, is no doubt extraordinary, but proves that God
employed the services of Sarah for confirming his own pro-
mise. Ina word, the casting out of Ishmael was nothing
else than the consequence and the accomplishment of that
promise, “ In Isaac shall thy seed be called,” (Gen. xxi. 12,)
—not in Ishmael. Although, therefore, it was the revenging
of a woman’s quarrel, yet God did not the less make known
his sentence by her mouth as a type of the Church.

31. So then, brethren. He now exhorts the Galatians to
prefer the condition of the children of Sarah to that of the
children of Hagar; and having reminded them that, by the
grace of Christ, they were born to freedom, he desires them
to continue in the same condition. If we shall call the Pa-
pists, Ishmaelites and Hagarites, and boast that we are the
lawful children, they will smile at us ; but if the two subjects
in dispute be fairly compared, the most ignorant person will
be at no loss to decide.

: CHAPTER V.

1. Stand fast therefore in the li- 1. In libertate igitur, qua Christus
berty wherewith Christ hath made nos liberavit, state; et ne rursum
us free, and pe not entangled again jugo servitutis implicemini.
with the yoke of bondage.

2. Behold, I Paul say unto you, 2. Ecce, ego Paulus denuncio yo-

K

146

that if ye be circumcised, Christ
shall profit you nothing.

3. For I testify again to every
man that is circumcised, that he is a
debtor to do the whole law.

4. Christ is become of no effect
unto you, whosoever of you are jus-
tified by the law; ye are fallen from
grace.

5. For we through the Spirit wait
for the hope of righteousness by
faith.

6. For in Jesus Christ neither
circumcision availeth any thing, nor

COMMENTARIES ON THE

OUAP. V. 1.

bis, quod, si cireumcidamini, Chris-
tus vobis nihil proderit.

3. Testificor enim rursum cuivis
homini, qui cireumeiditur, quod de-
bitor sit totius Legis faciende.

4, Exinaniti estis a Christo, qui-
cunque per Legem justificamini, a
gratia excidistis.

5. Nos enim Spiritu, ex fide, spem
justitize expectamus.

6. Nam in Christo Iesu neque
Circumcisio quicquam valet, neque

uncirecumeision ; but faith which
worketh by love.

1. Stand fast therefore. After having told them that they
are the children of the free woman, he now reminds them
that they ought not lightly to despise a freedom so precious,
And certainly it is an invaluable blessing, in defence of
which it is our duty to fight, even to death; since not
only the highest temporal considerations, but our eternal
interests also, animate us to the contest.’ Many persons,
having never viewed the subject in this light, charge us with
excessive zeal, when they see us so warmly and earnestly
contending for freedom of faith as to outward matters, in
opposition to the tyranny of the Pope. Under this cloak,
our adversaries raise a prejudice against us among ignorant
people, as if the whole object of our pursuit were licentious-
ness, which is the relaxation of all discipline. But wise and
skilful persons are aware that this is one of the most impor-
tant doctrines connected with salvation, This is not a ques-
tion whether you shall eat this or that food,—whether you
shall observe or neglect a particular day, (which is the foolish
notion entertained by many, and the slander uttered by
some,) but what is your positive duty before God, what is
necessary to salvation, and what cannot be omitted without
sin. In short, the controversy relates to the liberty of con-
science, when placed before the tribunal of God.

Prputium ; sed fides per dilec-
tionem operans.

1 « Oar il n’est pas yci seulement question du monde et des commoditez
de ceste vie, mais aussi des choses sainctes et qui concernent le service de
Dieu.” “ For the present subject comprehends not merely the world and
the benefits of this life, but also holy things, and those which relate to the
worship of God.”

CHAP. Vv. 2. EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. 147

The liberty of which Paul speaks is exemption from the
ceremonies of the law, the observance of which was demand-
ed by the false apostles as necessary. But let the reader,
at the same time, remember, that such liberty is only a part
of that which Christ has procured for us: for how small a
matter would it be, if he had only freed us from ceremonies ?
This is but a stream, which must be traced to a higher
source. It is because “ Christ was made a curse, that he
might redeem us from the curse of the law,” (Gal. iii. 13 ;)
because he has revoked the power of the law, so far as it
held us liable to the judgment of God under the penalty of
eternal death ; because, in a word, he has rescued us from
the tyranny of sin, Satan, and death. Thus, under one de-
partment is included the whole class; but on this subject
we shall speak more fully on the Epistle to the Colossians.

This liberty was procured for us by Christ on the cross :
the fruit and possession of it are bestowed upon us through
the Gospel. Well does Paul, then, warn the Galatians, not
to be entangled again with the yoke of bondage,—that is, not
to allow a snare to be laid for their consciences. For if men
lay upon our shoulders an unjust burden, it may be borne ;
but if they endeavour to bring our consciences into bondage,
we must resist valiantly, even to death. If men be per-
mitted to bind our consciences, we shall be deprived of an
invaluable blessing, and an insult will be, at the same time,
offered to Christ, the Author of our freedom. But what is
the force of the word again; in the exhortation, “ and be not
entangled again with the yoke of bondage ?” for the Galatians
had never lived under the law. It simply means that they
were not to be entangled, as if they had not been redeemed
by the grace of Christ. Although the law was given to
Jews, not to Gentiles, yet, apart from Christ, neither the
one nor the other enjoys any freedom, but absolute bondage.

2. Behold, I Paul. Ue could not have pronounced a
severer threatening than that it would exclude them entirely
from the grace of Christ. But what is the meaning of this,
that Christ will profit nothing to all who are circumcised ?
Did Christ profit nothing to Abraham? Nay, it was in order
that Christ might profit him that he received circumcision.

148 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. V. 3.

If we say that it was in force till the coming of Christ, what
reply shall we make to the case of Timothy? We must ob-
serve, that Paul’s reasoning is directed not so properly
against the outward rite or ceremony, as against the wicked
doctrine of the false apostles, who pretended that it was a
necessary part of the worship of God, and at the same time
made it a ground of confidence as a meritorious work. These
diabolical contrivances made Christ to profit nothing ; not
that the false apostles denied Christ, or wished him to be
entirely set aside, but that they made such a division between
his grace and the works of the law as to leave not more than
the half of salvation due to Christ. The apostle contends
that Christ cannot be divided in this way, and that he
“profiteth nothing,” unless he is wholly embraced.

And what else do our modern Papists but thrust upon us,
in place of circumcision, trifles of their own invention? The
tendency of their whole doctrine is to blend the grace of
Christ with the merit of works, which is impossible. -Who-
ever wishes to have the half of Christ, loses the whole. And
yet the Papists think themselves exceedingly acute when
they tell us that they ascribe nothing to works, except
through the influence of the grace of Christ, as if this were
a different error from what was charged on the Galatians.
They did not believe that they had departed from Christ, or
relinquished his grace; and yet they lost Christ entirely,
when that important part of evangelical doctrine was cor-
rupted.

The expression Behold, I Paul, is very emphatic; for he
places himself before them, and gives his name, to remove
all appearance of hesitation. -And though his authority had
begun to be less regarded among the Galatians, he asserts
that it is sufficient to put down every adversary.

3. For I testify again. What he now advances is proved
by the contradiction involved in the opposite statement. He
who is a debtor to do the whole law’ will never escape death,
but will always continue to be held as guilty ; for no man

1 « Tf Judaism is the road to salvation, the whole of Judaism must be
observed. You must not cull and throw away whatever part of it you
think fit.”—Grotius. -

CHAP. V. 3. EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. \ 149

will ever be found who satisfies the law. Such being the
obligation, the man must unavoidably be condemned, and
Christ can render him no service. We see then the contra-
dictory nature of the two propositions, that we are partakers
of the grace of Christ, and yet that we are bound to fulfil
the whole law. But will it not then follow, that none of the
fathers were saved? Will it not also follow that Timothy
was ruined, since Paul caused him to be circumcised? (Acts
xvi. 3.) Wo to us then, till we have been emancipated from
the law, for subjection is inseparable from circumcision !

It ought to be observed that Paul is accustomed to view
circumcision in two different aspects, as every person who
has bestowed a moderate degree of attention on his writings
will easily perceive. In the Epistle to the Romans, (iv. 11,)
he calls it “a seal of the righteousness of faith ;” and there,
under circumcision, he includes Christ and the free promise
of salvation. But here he contrasts it with Christ, and faith,
and the gospel, and grace,—viewing it simply as a legal co-
venant, founded on the merit of works.

The consequence is, as we have already said, that he does
not always speak about circumcision in the same way; but
the reason of the difference must be taken into account.
When he views circumcision in its own nature, he properly
makes it to be a symbol of grace, because such was the
appointment of God. But when he is dealing with the
false apostles, who abused circumcision by making it
an instrument for destroying the Gospel, he does not
there consider the purpose for which it was appointed by
the Lord, but attacks the corruption which has proceeded
from men.

A very striking example occurs in this passage. When
Abraham had received a promise concerning Christ, and
justification by free grace, and eternal salvation, circumcision
was added, in order to confirm the promise; and thus it
became, by the appointment of God, a sacrament, which was
subservient to faith. Next come the false apostles, who pre-

» « Car ilne s’en trouvera jamais un seul, qui satisfait entierement a la
Loy.” “ For never will there be found a single individual who entirely
satisfies the law.”

150 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP, V. 3.
tend that it is a meritorious work, and recommend the
observance of the law, making a profession of obedi-
ence to it to be signified by circumcision as an initiatory
rite. Paul makes no reference here to the appointment of
God, but attacks the unscriptural views of the false
apostles.

It will be objected, that the abuses, whatever they may
be, which wicked men commit, do not at all impair the
sacred ordinances of God. I reply, the Divine appointment
of circumcision was only for a time. After the coming of
Christ, it ceased to be a Divine institution, because baptism
had succeeded in its room. Why, then, was Timothy cir-
cumcised ? Not certainly on his own account, but for the
sake of weak brethren, to whom that point was yielded. To
show more fully the agreement between the doctrine of the
Papists and that which Paul opposes, it must be observed,
that the sacraments, when we partake of them in a sincere
manner, are not the works of men, but of God. In baptism
or the Lord’s supper, we do nothing but present ourselves to
God, in order to receive his grace. Baptism, viewed in re-
gard to us, is a passive work: we bring nothing to it but
faith ; and all that belongs to it is laid up in Christ. But
what are the views of the Papists? They contrive the opus
operatum,! by which men merit the grace of God ; and what
is this, but to extinguish utterly the truth of the sacrament ?

1 Thus the Council of Trent has decreed: “ If any man shall say that
the sacraments of the new law do not contain the grace which they signify,
or do not confer grace upon those who do not oppose an obstacle to it, as if
they were only external signs of grace or righteousness received by faith,
let him be accursed.”—Sessio vii. De Sacramentis in genere, Canon vi.
Again, “ If any man shall say, that grace is not conferred by the sacraments
of the new law themselves, ea opere operato, but that faith alone in the
divine promise is sufficient to obtain grace, let him be acursed.””—NSessio Vil.
De Sacramentis in geneve, Canon viii. The translator subjoins a few ob-
servations, by the late Rev. Dr. Dick, on a phrase which appears to defy
translation. “ This barbarous phrase opus operatum, which is utterly un-
intelligible without an explanation, signifies the external celebration of the
sacraments. It has been defined by Popish writers to be the performance
of the external work without any internal motion; and sacraments have
been said to confer grace ex opere operate, because, besides the exhibition
and application of the sign, no good motion is necessary in the receiver.

All that is required is, that no obstacle shall be opposed to the reception
of grace, and the only obstacle is mortal sin.”—Lectures on Theology,

=

vol. iv. ps 127.

CHAP. V. 6. EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. 151

Baptism and the Lord’s supper are retained by us, because
it was the will of Christ that the use of them should be per-
petual ; but those wicked and foolish notions are rejected by
us with the strong abhorrence which they deserve.

4. Christ has become of no effect unto you. “If ye seek any
part of righteousness in the works of the law, Christ has no
concern with you, and ye are fallen from grace.” They were
not so grossly mistaken as to believe that by the observance
of the law alone they were justified, but attempted to mix
Christ with the law. In any other point of view, Paul’s
threatenings would have utterly failed to produce alarm.
“What are you doing? You deprive yourselves of every
advantage from Christ, and treat his grace as if it were of
no value whatever.” We see then that the smallest part of
justification cannot be attributed to the law without renounc-
ing Christ and his grace.

5. For we through the Spirit. He now anticipates an ob-
jection that might readily occur. ‘ Will circumcision then be
ofno use?” In Jesus Christ, he replies, it avacleth nothing.
Righteousness, therefore, depends on faith, and is obtained,
through the Spirit, without ceremonies. To wart for the
hope of righteousness, is to place our confidence in this or
that object, or, to decide from what quarter righteousness is
to be expected ; though the words probably contain the ex-
hortation, “ Let us continue stedfastly in the hope of right-
eousness which we obtain by faith.” When he says that
we obtain righteousness by faith, this applies equally to us
and to our fathers. All of them, as Scripture testifies, (Heb.
x1. 5,) “ pleased God ;” but their faith was concealed by the
veil of ceremonies, and therefore he distinguishes us from
them by the word Spirit, which is contrasted with outward
shadows. His meaning therefore is, that all that is now
necessary for obtaining righteousness is a simple faith, which
declines the aid of splendid ceremonies, and is satisfied with
the spiritual worship of God.

6. For in Jesus Christ. The reason why believers now
wait for the hope of righteousness through the Spirit is, that
in Christ, that is, in the kingdom of Christ, or in the Chris-
tian church, circumcision with its appendages is abolished ;

152 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. V. 6.

for, by a figure of speech in which a part is taken for the
whole, the word Circumcision is put for ceremonies. While
he declares that they no longer possess any influence, he
does not admit that they were always useless; for he does
not maintain that they were repealed till after the revela-
tion of Christ. This enables us to answer another question,
Why does he here speak so contemptuously of circumcision,
as if it had been of no advantage? The rank which circum-
cision once held as a sacrament is not now considered. ‘The
question is not what was its value before it had been abolished.
But under the kingdom of Christ, he pronounces it to be on
a level with uncircumcision, because the coming of Christ has
put an end to legal ceremonies.

But faith, which worketh by love. The contrast here intro-
duced, between ceremonies and the exercise of love, was
intended to prevent the Jews from thinking too highly of
themselves, and imagining that they were entitled to some
superiority ; for towards the close of the Epistle, instead of
this clause, he uses the words, a new creature. (Gal. vi. 15.)
As if he had said, Ceremonies are no longer enjoined by
Divine authority; and, if we abound in the exercise of love,
all is well. Meanwhile, this does not set aside our sacra-
ments, which are aids to faith, but is merely a short an-
nouncement of what he had formerly taught as to the
spiritual worship of God.

There would be no difficulty in this passage, were it not
for the dishonest manner in which it has been tortured by
the Papists to uphold the righteousness of works. When
they attempt to refute our doctrine, that we are justified by
faith alone, they take this line of argument. If the faith
which justifies us be that “which worketh by love,” then
faith alone does not justify. I answer, they do not compre-
hend their own silly talk; still less do they comprehend our
statements. It is not our doctrine that the faith which
justifies is alone; we maintain that it is invariably accom-
panied by good works; only we contend that faith alone is
sufficient for justification. The Papists themselves are ac-
customed to tear faith after a murderous fashion, sometimes
presenting it out of all shape and unaccompanied by love,

CHAP. V. 7. EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. 153

and at other times, in its true character. We, again, refuse
to admit that, in any case, faith can be separated from the
Spirit of regeneration ; but when the question comes to be
in what manner we are justified, we then set aside all works.

With respect to the present passage, Paul enters into no dis-
pute whether love co-operates with faith in justification ; but,
in order to avoid the appearance of representing Christians
as idle and as resembling blocks of wood, he points out what
are the true exercises of believers. When you are engaged in
discussing the question of justification, beware of allowing
any mention to be made of love or of works, but resolutely
adhere to the exclusive particle. Paul does not here treat
of justification, or assign any part of the praise of it to love.
Had he done so, the same argument would prove that cir-
cumcision and ceremonies, at a former period, had some
share in justifying a sinner. As in Christ Jesus he com-
mends faith accompanied by love, so before the coming of
Christ ceremonies were required. But this has nothing to
do with obtaining righteousness, as the Papists themselves
allow ; and neither must it be supposed that love possesses

any such influence. i

7. Ye did run well; who did hin-
der you, that ye should not obey the
truth?

8. This persuasion cometh not of
him that calleth you.

9. A little leaven leaveneth the
whole lump.

10. I have confidence in you
. through the Lord, that ye will be
none otherwise minded: but he that
troubleth you shall bear his judg-
ment, whosoever he be.

11. AndI, brethren, if I yet preach
circumcision, why do I yet suffer per-
secution? then is the offence of the
cross ceased. ‘

12. J would they were even cut off
which trouble you.

7. Yedid run well.

-

7. Currebatis bene. Quis vos im-
pedivit, ne obediretis veritati ?

8. Persuasio non est ex eo qui
vocayit vos. .

9. Modicum fermentum totam
massam fermentat.

10. Ego persuasus sum de vobis in
Domino, quod non aliud sitis sen-
suri; qui autem turbat vos, portabit
judicium, quisquis sit.

11. Ego autem, fratres, si cirecum-
cisionem adhuc preedicem, quid
adhue persequutionem __ patior ?
exinanitum est scandalum crucis.

12. Utinam etiam abscindantur,
qui vos conturbant.

The censure which the apostle admin-

isters for their present departure from the truth is mingled ,
with approbation of their former course, for the express pur-
pose that, by being brought to a sense of shame, they may

154 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. V. 9.

return more speedily to the right path. The astonishment
conveyed in the question, who hindered you? was intended
to produce a blush. I have chosen to translate the Greek
word zreecOa, obey, rather than believe, because, having
once embraced the purity of the gospel, they had been led
away from a course of obedience.

8. This persuasion cometh not. Having formerly combated
them by arguments, he at length pronounces, with a voice of
authority, that their persuasion came not from God. Such
an admonition would not be entitled to much regard, were
it not supported by the authority of the speaker. But Paul,
to whom the Galatians had been indebted for the announce-
ment of their Divine calling, was well entitled to address
them in this confident language. This is the reason why he
does not directly say, from God, but expresses it by a circum-
locution, him that hath called you.' As if he had said, “ God
is never inconsistent with himself, and he it is who by my
preaching called you to salvation. This new persuasion then
has come from some other quarter; and if you wish to have
it thought that your calling is from God, beware of lending
an ear to those who thrust upon you their new inventions.”
Though the Greek participle cadodvtos, I acknowledge, is in
the present tense, I have preferred translating, who hath
called you, in order to remove the ambiguity.

9. A little leaven. This refers, I think, to doctrine, not to
men. It guards them against the mischievous consequences
which arise from corruption of doctrine, and warns them not
to consider it, as is commonly done, to be a matter attended
by little or no danger. Satan’s stratagem is, that he does
not attempt an avowed destruction of the whole gospel, but
he taints its purity by introducing false and corrupt opinions.
Many persons are thus led to overlook the seriousness of the
injury done, and therefore make a less determined resistance.
The apostle proclaims aloud that, after the truth of God has
been corrupted, we are no longer safe. He employs the

1 « The apostle’s statement seems to be, ‘ This persuasion to which you
have yielded is not from Christ. It comes from a very different quarter.
The men who have employed it are not moved by his spirit. They have

no divine authority; and you ought not to yield to them, no, not for an
hour.’ ”—Brown. ,

CHAP. v. 10. EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. aD

metaphor of leaven, which, however small in quantity, com-
municates its sourness to the whole mass. We must exercise
the utmost caution lest we allow any counterfeit to be sub-
stituted for the pure doctrine of the gospel.

10. I have confidence in you. All his fierceness is again
directed against the false apostles. To them the evil is
traced, and on them the punishment is threatened. Good
hopes are expressed regarding the Galatians, that they will
quickly and readily return to a sincere belief. It gives us
courage to learn that good hopes are entertained about us ;
for we reckon it shameful to disappoint those whose feelings
towards us are kind and friendly. But to bring back the
Galatians to the pure doctrine of faith, from which they had
turned aside, was the work of God. The apostle says that
he has confidence in them, év Kupiw, through the Lord, by
which he reminds them that repentance is a heavenly gift,
and that they must ask it from God.

He that troubleth you. The sentiment which he had just
delivered is confirmed by thus indirectly imputing the greater
_ part of the blame to those impostors by whom the Galatians

had been deceived. From the punishment denounced against
them, the Galatians are very nearly exempted. Let all who
introduce confusion into churches, who break the unity of
faith, who destroy their harmony, lend an ear to this; and
if they have any right feeling, let them tremble at this word.
God declares, by the mouth of Paul, that none “through
whom such offences come” (Luke xvii. 1) will pass unpunished.
The phrase, whosoever he be, is emphatic; for the high sound-
ing language of the false apostles had terrified the ignorant
multitude. It became necessary for Paul to defend his doc-
trine with corresponding warmth and energy, and not to
spare any one who dared to raise his voice against it, how-
ever eminent or however distinguished.

1 « However, he ‘that troubleth you,’ or rather, ‘ perplexes and unset-
tles you;’ as if this was al/ he could do,—not teach them. So Galen, cited
by Wetstein; TUQLTTOYTES weovoy Tovs pavbdvorras, OiWarxovres 08 avder, © only
troubling the scholars, and teaching them nothing.’ The use of the sin-
gular will not prove that there was no more than one false teacher; since
it may be used collectively. Yet the apostle seems to glance at one, the
principal of them; and by ¢7zs 2» %, ‘whosoever he be,’ we may infer that
he was a person of some consequence.”—Bloomfield.

156 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. V-12:

11. And J, brethren. This argument is drawn from the
final cause. “It would be completely in my power,” he says,
“to avoid the displeasure of men, and every kind of danger
and persecution, were I only to mix ceremonies with Christ.
The earnestness with which I oppose them is not on my own
account, nor for my own advantage.” But does it therefore
follow that his doctrine is true? I answer, proper feelings
and pure conscience, when manifested by a teacher, have no
small share in obtaining confidence. Besides, it cannot be be-
lieved that any man would be so mad as to take measures, of
his own accord, for bringing distress upon himself. Lastly, he
throws upon his adversaries the suspicion, that, in preaching
circumcision, they were more disposed to consult their own
ease than to be faithful in the service of Christ. In short,
Paul was at the farthest remove from ambition, covetousness,
or regard to personal interest, since he despised favour and
applause, and exposed himself to the persecutions and fury
of the multitude rather than swerve a hair’s-breadth from
the purity of the gospel.

Then is the offence of the cross ceased. Willingly does Paul,
in speaking of the gospel, call it the cross, or the preaching
of the cross, when he wishes to bring its poor, simple style,
into contrast with the “ great swelling words” (Jude 16) of
human wisdom or righteousness. For the Jews, puffed up
with an ill-founded confidence in their righteousness, and
the Greeks, with a foolish belief of their wisdom, despised
the meanness of the gospel. When therefore he says that
now, If the preaching of circumcision be admitted, the offence
of the cross will no longer exist, he means that the gospel
will meet with no annoyance from the Jews, but will ber
taught with their entire concurrence. And why? Because
they will no longer take offence at a pretended and spurious
gospel, gathered out of Moses and out of Christ, but will look ©
with greater indulgence on that mixture which will leave
them in possession of their former superiority.

12. Would that they were even cut of. His indignation
proceeds still farther, and he prays for destruction on those
impostors by whom the Galatians had been deceived. The
word, “ cut off,” appears to be employed in allusion to the

OHAP. V. 12. EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. 157

circumcision which they pressed. “ They tear the church
for the sake of circumcision: I wish they were entirely cut
off.” Chrysostom favours this opinion. But how can such
an imprecation be reconciled with the mildness of an apos-
tle, who ought to wish that all should be saved, and that
not a single person should perish? So far as men are con-
cerned, I admit the force of this argument ; for it is the
will of God that we should seek the salvation of all men
without exception, as Christ suffered for the sins of the whole
world. But devout minds are sometimes carried beyond the
consideration of men, and led to fix their eye on the glory
of God, and the kingdom of Christ. The glory of God,
which is in itself more excellent than the salvation of men,
ought to receive from us a higher degree of esteem and re-
gard. Believers earnestly desirous that the glory of God
should be promoted, forget men, and forget the world,
and would rather choose that the whole world should perish,
than that the smallest portion of the glory of God should
be withdrawn.

_ Let us remember, however, that such a prayer as this pro-
ceeds from leaving men wholly out of view, and fixing our
attention on God alone. Paul cannot be accused of cruelty,
as if he were opposed to the law of love. Besides, if a single
man or a few persons be brought into comparison, how im-
mensely must the church preponderate! It is a cruel kind
of mercy which prefers a single man to the whole church.
‘On one side, I see the flock of God in danger ; on the other,
I see a wolf “ seeking,” like Satan, “whom he may devour.”
(1 Pet. v. 8) Ought not my care of the church to swal-
low up all my thoughts, and lead me to desire that its sal-
vation should be purchased by the destruction of the wolf ?
And yet I would not wish that a single individual should
perish in this way ; but my love of the church and my
anxiety about her interests carry me away into a sort of
ecstasy, so that I can think of nothing else.” With such a
zeal as this, every true pastor of the church will burn.
The Greek word translated “ who trouble you,” signifies
‘to remove from a certain rank or station. By using the
word «az, even, he expresses more strongly his desire that

158

COMMENTARIES ON THE

CHAP. V. 13.

the impostors should not merely be degraded, but entirely

separated and cut off.!

' 13. For, brethren, ye have been
called unto liberty; only wse not
liberty for an occasion to the flesh,
but by love serve one another.

14. For all the law is fulfilled in
one word, even in this, Thou shalt
love thy neighbour as thyself.

15. Butif ye bite and devour one
another, take heed that ye be not
consumed one of another.

16. This I say then, Walk in the
Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust
of the flesh.

17. For the flesh lusteth against
the Spirit, and the Spirit against
the flesh: and these are contrary
the one to the other; so that ye
cannot do the things that ye would.

18. But if ye be led by the Spi-

13. Vos enim in libertatem vo-
cati estis, fratres; tanttim ne liber-
tatem in occasionem detis carni, sed
per charitatem servite vobis invicem.

14. Nam tota Lex in uno verbo
completur, nempe hoe: Diliges
proximum tuum sicut te ipsum.

15..Quodsi alius alium vicissim
mordetis et devoratis, videte, ne vi-
cissim alius ab alio consumamini.

16. Dico autem: Spiritu ambu-
late ; et concupiscentiam carnis non
perficietis.

17. Nam caro concupiscit adver-
sus Spiritum; Spiritus autem ad-
versus carnem; hee mutuo inter se
adversantur; ut non, quecunque
volueritis, eadem faciatis.

18. Quéd si Spiritu ducimini, non

rit, ye are not under the law. estis sub Lege.

13. Ye have been called to liberty. He now proceeds to
show in what way liberty must be used. In the course of
expounding the First Epistle to the Corinthians, we have
pointed out that liberty is one thing, and that the use of it
is another thing. Liberty les in the conscience, and looks
to God; the use of it lies in outward matters, and deals
not with God only, but with men. Having exhorted the
Galatians to suffer no diminution of their liberty, he now
enjoins them to be moderate in the use of it, and lays down
as a rule for the lawful use, that it shall not be turned into
a pretext or occasion for licentiousness. Liberty is not
granted to the flesh, which ought rather to be held captive

* «But Iam so far from inculcating on you the necessity of circum-
cision, I would even wish that all those, without exception, who endeavour
thus to subvert your faith, were wholly cut off from the communion of the
Christian church.—I wish that, instead of having hearkened to these se-
ducing teachers, they had been cut off by you, excluded from the church,
and disowned as brethren.’ (See 1 Cor. v. 7, 11.) And where he here
expresses his wish, that the troublers of the Galatians were cut off, it is
only putting them in mind what would have been both their prudence and
their duty to have done; not to have hearkened to them, but to have dis-
owned, and refused society with them as Christians. This being the plain
and natural sense of the apostle’s words, they cannot be charged with any
ill-natured or unfriendly wish.”—Chandler.

CHAP. V. I 4. EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. 159

under the yoke, but is a spiritual benefit, which none but
pious minds are capable of enjoying.

But by love. The method here explained of restraining
liberty from breaking out into wide and licentious abuse is,
to have it regulated by love. Let us always remember that the
present question is not, in what manner we are free before
God, but in what manner we may use our liberty in our in-
tercourse with men. A good conscience submits to no slavery ;
but to practise outward slavery, or to abstain from the use
of liberty, is attended by no danger. In a word, if “ by
love we serve one another,” we shall always have regard to
edification, so that we shall not grow wanton, but use the
grace of God for his honour and the salvation of our neigh-
bours.

14. For all the law. There is a contrast in this verse,—
though not plainly stated, yet evidently to be understood,—
between Paul’s exhortation and the doctrine of the false
apostles. While they insisted on ceremonies alone, Paul
takes a passing glance of the actual duties and exercises of
Christians. The present commendation of love is intended
to inform the Galatians, that love forms the chief part of
Christian perfection. But we must inquire into the reason
why all the precepts of the law are included under love.
The law consists of two tables, the first of which instructs
us concerning the worship of God and the duties of piety,
and the second instructs us concerning the love of our neigh-
bour ; for it is ridiculous to make a part the same with the
whole. Some avoid this difficulty by reminding us that the
first table contains nothing more than to love God with our
whole heart. But Paul makes express mention of love to
our neighbour, and therefore a more satisfactory solution
must be sought.

Piety to God, I acknowledge, ranks higher than love of the
brethren ; and therefore the observance of the first table is
more valuable in the sight of God than the observance of
the second. But as God himself is invisible, so piety is a
thing hidden from the eyes of men ; and, though the mani-
festation of it was the purpose for which ceremonies were
appointed, they are not certain proofs of its existence. It

160 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP.V. I 4,

frequently happens, that none are more zealous and regular
in observing ceremonies than hypocrites. God therefore
chooses to make trial of our love to himself by that love of
our brother, which he enjoins us to cultivate. This is the
reason why, not here only, but in the Epistle tothe Romans, .
(xiii. 8, 10,) love is called “the fulfilling of the law ;” not
that it excels, but that it proves the worship of God to be
real. God, I have said, is invisible; but he represents him-
self to us in the brethren, and in their persons demands what
is due to himself. Love to men springs only from the fear
and love of God ; and therefore we need not wonder if, by a
figure of speech, in which a part is taken for the whole, the
effect include under it the cause of which it is the sign.
But it would be wrong in any person to attempt to separate
our love of God from our love of men.

Thow shalt love thy neighbour. He who loves will render to
every man his right, will do injury or harm to no man, will do
good, as far as lies in his power, to all ; for what else is included
in the whole of the second table? This, too, is the argument
employed by Paul in his Epistle to the Romans (xii. 10.)
The word, neighbour, includes all men living ; for we are
linked together by a common nature, as Isaiah reminds us,
“ that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh.” (Isaiah
lviii. 7.) The image of God ought to be particularly
regarded as a sacred bond of union; but, for that very
reason, no distinction is here made between friend and
foe, nor can the wickedness of men set aside the right of
nature.

“ Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.’ The love
which men naturally cherish toward themselves ought to
regulate our love of our neighbour. All the doctors of the
Sorbonne’ are in the habit of arguing that, as the rule is

1 The College of the Sorbonne, in Paris, takes its name from Lobert
de Sorbonne, who founded it in the middle of the thirteenth century. Its
reputation for theological learning, philosophy, classical literature, and
all that formerly constituted a liberal education, was deservedly high. In
the Doctors of the Sorbonne the Reformation found powerful adversaries.
The very name of this university, to which the greatest scholars in Europe
were accustomed to pay deference, would be regarded by the multitude
with blind veneration. If such men as Calvin, Beza, Melanchthon, and

CHAP. VY. 15. EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. 161

superior to what it directs, the love of ourselves must always
hold the first rank. This is not to interpret, but to subvert
our Lord’s words. They are asses, and have not even a spark
of the love of their neighbour; for if the love of ourselves were
the rule, it would follow that it is proper and holy, and is
the object of the divine approbation. But we shall never
love our neighbours with sincerity, according to our Lord’s
intention, till we have corrected the love of ourselves. The
two affections are opposite and contradictory ; for the love
of ourselves leads us to neglect and despise others,—pro-
duces cruelty, covetousness, violence, deceit, and all kindred
vices,—drives us to impatience, and arms us with the desire
of revenge. Our Lord therefore enjoins that it be changed
into the love of our neighbour.

15. But of ye bite and devour one another. From the na-
ture of the subject, as well as from the language employed,
we may conjecture that the Galatians had disputes among
themselves ; for they differed about doctrine. The apostle
now demonstrates, from the result, how destructive such pro-
ceedings in the church must ultimately prove to be. False
doctrine was probably a judgment from heaven upon their
ambition, pride, and other offences. This may be concluded
from what frequently happens in the divine dispensations, as
well as from an express declaration by the hand of Moses.
“ Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or
that dreamer of dreams; for the Lord your God proveth
you, to know whether ye love the Lord your God with all
your heart, and with all your soul.” (Deut. xiii. 3.)

By biting and devouring’ he means, I think, slanders, accu-

Luther, were prepared by talents and acquirements of the first order to
brave the terrors of that name, they must have frequently lamented its
influence on many of their hearers. Yet our author meets undaunted
this formidable array, and enters the field with the full assurance of
victory. Despising, as we naturally do, the weak superstitions and ab-
surd tenets held by the Church of Rome, we are apt to underrate our ob-
ligations to the early champions of the Reformed faith, who encountered,
with success, those veteran warriors, and ‘ contended earnestly for the faith
which was once delivered to the saints.’ (Jude 3.)”—Ed.

1 Tais AtZecs 0: tudavrinas txenouro od yae tliat, Déxvere, wovov, omree tori bumov-
Héivov, AAG nol xurecbisrt, bre9 tori tmpevovTas TH movngians 6 wey yao ddnvwy doyng
twrnguoe widbos, 6 dt xarsebinv Onoiwiius toxarns rugioxyey &xodukv = These
words are used by him emphatically; for he did not merely say ‘ Bite,’

L

162 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. v.17.

sations, reproaches, and every other kind of offensive language,
as well as acts of injustice arising either from fraud or vio-
lence. And what is the end of them? To be consumed,
while the tendency of brotherly love is to produce mutual
protection and kindness. I wish we could always remember,
when the devil tempts us to disputes, that the disagreement
of members within the church can lead to nothing else than
the ruin and consumption of the whole body. How dis-
tressing, how mad is it, that we, who are members of the
same body, should be leagued together, of our own accord,
for mutual destruction !

16. This I saythen. Now follows the remedy. The ruin
of the church is no light evil, and whatever threatens it
must be opposed with the most determined resistance. But
how is this to beaccomplished ?- By not permitting the flesh
to rule in us, and by yielding ourselves to the direction of
the Spirit of God. The Galatians are indirectly told, that
they are carnal, destitute of the Spirit of God, and that the
life which they lead is unworthy of Christians ; for whence
did their violent conduct towards each other proceed, but
from their being guided by the lust of the flesh? This, he
tells them, is an evidence that they do not walk according to
the Spirit.

Ye shall not fulfil. We ought to mark the word fulfil ;
by which he means, that, though the sons of God, so long as
they groan under the burden of the flesh, are liable to com-
mit sin, they are not its subjects or slaves, but make habi-
tual opposition to its power. The spiritual man may be fre-
quently assaulted by the lusts of the flesh, but he does not
JSulfil them,—he does not permit them to reign over him.—
On this subject, it will be proper to consult the 8th chapter
of the Epistle to the Romans.

17. For the fiesh lusteth. The spiritual life will not be
maintained without a struggle. We are here informed of
the nature of the difficulty, which arises from our natural

which denotes an angry person, but likewise, ‘ Devour,’ which denotes one
who persists in wickedness. He who ‘ bites’ has exhausted his angry pas-
sion, but he who ‘devours’ has given a demonstration of extreme cruelty.”
—Chrysostom.

CHAP. Vv. 18. EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. 163

inclinations being opposed to the Spirit. The word flesh,
as we had occasion to observe, in expounding the Epistle to
the Romans, denotes the nature of man ; for the limited ap-
plication of it, which the sophists make to the lower senses,
as they are called, is refuted by various passages; and the
contrast between the two words puts an end to all doubt.
The Spirit denotes the renewed nature, or the grace of re-
generation ; and what else does the flesh mean, but “ the old
man?” (Rom. vi. 6; Eph. iv. 22; Col. iii. 9.) Disobedi-
ence and rebellion against the Spirit of God pervade the
whole nature of man. If we would obey the Spirit, we must
labour, and fight, and apply our utmost energy ; and we must
begin with self-denial. The compliment paid by our Lord
to the natural inclinations of men, amounts to this,—that
there is no greater agreement between them and righteous-
ness, than between fire and water. Where, then, shall we
find a drop of goodness in man’s free will? unless we pro-
nounce that to be good which is contrary to the Spirit of
God; “ because the carnal mind is enmity against God, for
it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.”
(Rom. viii. 7.) All the thoughts of the flesh are acts of
enmity against God.

So that ye cannot do the things that ye would. This refers,
unquestionably, to the regenerate. Carnal men have no
battle with depraved lusts, no proper desire to attain to the
righteousness of God. Paul is addressing believers. The
things that ye would must mean, not our natural inclinations,
but the holy affections which God bestows upon us by his
grace. Paul therefore declares, that believers, so long as
they are in this life, whatever may be the earnestness of
their endeavours, do not obtain such a measure of success as
to serve God in a perfect manner. The highest result does
not correspond to their wishes and desires. I must again
refer the reader, for a more extended view of my sentiments
on this subject, to the Exposition of the Epistle to the Ro-
mans, (vii. 15.)

18. But if ye be led by the Spirit. In the way of the Lord
believers are apt to stumble. But let them not be discour-
aged, because they are unable to satisfy the demands of the

164 COMMENTARIES ON THE cHaAP. v. 19.
law. Let them listen to the consolatory declaration of the
apostle, which is also found in other parts of his writings,
(Rom. vi. 14,) ye are not under the law. WHence it follows,
that the performance of their duties is not rejected on
account of their present defects, but is accepted in the sight
of God, as if it had been in every respect perfect and com-
plete. Paul is still pursuing the controversy about freedom.
The Spirit is elsewhere (Rom. viii. 15) denominated by him,
“ the Spirit of adoption ;” and when the Spirit makes men
free, he emancipates them from the yoke of the law. As if
he had said, “ Is it your desire instantly to terminate the
controversies in which you are now engaged? Walk accord-
ing to the Spirit. You will then be free from the dominion
of the law, which will act only in the capacity of a kind
adviser, and will no longer lay a restraint upon your con-
sciences.” Besides, when the condemnation of the law is
removed, freedom from ceremonies follows as a necessary con-
sequence; for ceremonies mark the condition of a slave.

19. Now the works of the flesh
are manifest, which are these; Adul-
tery, fornication, uncleanness, lasci-
viousness,

20. Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred,
variance, emulations, wrath, strife,
seditions, heresies,

21. Envyings, murders, drunken-
ness, revellings, and such like: of
the which I tell you before, as I have
also told you in time past, that they
which do such things shall not in-
herit the kingdom of God.

19. Now the works of the flesh are mancfest.

19. Manifesta vero sunt opera
carnis, que sunt adulterium, scor-
tatio, immunditia, lascivia,

20. Idololatria, veneficium, inimi-
citi, contentio, «mulationes, ire,
concertationes, seditiones, hzereses,

21. Invidiz, homicidia, ebrietates,
comissationes, et his similia; de
quibus preedico vobis, quemadmo-
dum et preedixi, quod qui talia agunt
regnum Dei hereditate non posside-
bunt.

To obey the

spirit and to oppose the flesh, are two great objects which
have been set before Christians, and for the attainment of
which they have been urged to make the most strenuous
exertions. In accordance with these views, he now draws a
picture both of the flesh and of the spirit. If men knew
themselves, they would not need this inspired declaration,
for they are nothing but flesh ; but such is the hypocrisy
belonging to our natural state, we never perceive our de-
pravity till the tree has been fully made known by its fruits.
(Matt. vil. 16; Luke vi. 44.)

Se ter

CHAP. Vv. 19. EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. 165

The apostle therefore now points out to us those sins
against which we must fight, in order that we may not live
according to the flesh. He does not indeed enumerate them
all, and so he himself states at the conclusion of the list ;
but from those brought forward, the character of the re-
mainder may be easily ascertained. Adultery and fornica-
tion are placed first, and next follows wncleanness, which
extends to every species of unchastity. Lasciviousness ap-
pears to be a subsidiary term, for the Greek word acédyeva,
which is thus translated, is applied to those who lead wanton
and dissolute lives. These four denote sins forbidden by the
seventh commandment. The next mentioned is idolatry,
which is here employed as a general term for services grossly
superstitious and openly practised.

Seven classes which immediately follow, are closely allied,
and other two are afterwards added. Anger and hatred
differ chiefly in this, that anger is short, and hatred is lasting.
Emulations and envyings are the occasions of hatred; and
the following distinction between them is stated by Aristotle,
in his second book on Rhetoric :—He who emulates is grieved
that another should excel him, not because the virtue or
worth of that person, in itself considered, gives him uneasi-
ness, but because he would wish to be superior. The envious
man has no desire to excel, but is grieved at the excellence
of other men. None, therefore, he tells us, but low and
mean persons indulge in envy, while emulation dwells in
lofty and heroic minds. Paul declares both to be diseases
of the flesh. From anger and hatred arise variance, strife,
seditions ; and he even traces the consequences so far as to
mention murders and witchcraft! By revellings,” he means

’ © The original word ¢aeuaxsiz sometimes denotes ‘ poisonings,’ which
were frequently practised among the heathens. Sometimes it signifies
incantations or magic arts, or witcheraft, by which impostors and cheats
endeavoured to impose on ignorant and credulous people, and which were
carried on by poisonous intoxicating draughts and ointments, by which they
did great mischief to the bodies of men. As it is here immediately placed
after idolatry, I should imagine that the apostle intended those cursed arts
of incantations and charms, those various methods of imposture and cheats,
which were made use of by the heathen priests, to promote the idolatrous
reverence and worship of their false gods. (See Rev. xvill. 23.)’—

Chandler.
? « By xauo are denoted those nocturnal revellings usually attend-

166 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. v. 21.

a dissolute life, and every kind of intemperance in the gra-
tification of the palate. It deserves notice, that heresies are
enumerated among the works of the flesh; for it shows
clearly that the word flesh is not confined, as the sophists
imagine, to sensuality. What produces heresies but ambi-
tion, which deals not with the lower senses, but with the
highest faculties of the mind? He says that these works are
manifest, so that no man may think that he will gain any-
thing by evading the question ;! for what avails it to deny
that the flesh reigns in us, if the fruit betrays the quality of
the tree ? ;

21. Of which I tell you before. By this awful threatening
he intended not only to alarm the Galatians, but likewise to
glance indirectly at the false apostles, who had laid aside
the far more valuable instruction, and spent their time in
disputing about ceremonies. He instructs us, by his example,
to press those exhortations and threatenings, agreeably to
the words of the prophet, “ Cry aloud, spare not ; proclaim
to my people their sins.” (Isa. lvi. 1.) What can be con-
ceived more dreadful than that men should walk after the
flesh, and shut themselves out from the kingdom of God?
Who will dare to treat lightly the “ abominable things which
God hates?’ (Jer. xliv. 4.)

But in this way, we shall be told, all are cut off from the
hope of salvation ; for who is there that is not chargeable
with some of those sins? I reply, Paul does not threaten
that all who have sinned, but that all who remain impeni-
tent, shall be excluded from the kingdom of God. The saints
themselves often fall into grievous sins, but they return to
the path of righteousness, ‘‘ that which they do they allow
not,” (Rom. vii. 15,) and therefore they are not included in
this catalogue. All threatenings of the judgments of God
call us to repentance. They are accompanied by a promise
that those who repent will obtain forgiveness ; but if we
continue obstinate, they remain as a testimony from heaven
against us.

fon
ant on an evening of debauchery, consisting of licentious singing, dancing,
and parading the streets with drunken riotings.”—Bloomfield.
‘ « En volant nier, et usant de tergiversation.” ‘ By wishing to deny
it, and by shuffling.”

CHAP. V. 22. EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. 167
They who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of
God. The word «Anpovouety signifies to possess by hereditary

right ; for by no right but that of adoption, as we have seen

in other passages, do we obtain eternal life.

22. But the fruit of the Spirit is
love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gen-
tleness, goodness, faith,

23. Meekness, temperance: against
such there is no law.

24. And they that are Christ’s
have crucified the flesh, with the af.
fections and lusts.

25. If we live in the Spirit, let us
also walk in the Spirit.

26. Let us not be desirous of vain-
glory, provoking one another, envy-
ing one another.

22. Fructus vero Spiritus est cha-
ritas, gaudium, pax, tolerantia, co-
mitas, benignitas, fides,

23. Mansuetudo, temperantia :
adversus ejusmodi non est Lex.

24. Qui autem Christi sunt car-
nem crucifixerunt cum affectibus et
concupiscentiis.

25. Si vivimus Spiritu, etiam Spi-
ritu ambulemus.

26. Ne simus inanis gloriz cupidi,
invicem provocantes, invicem invi-
dentes.

22. But the fruit’ of the Spirit. In the former part of the
description he condemned the whole nature of man as pro-
ducing nothing but evil and worthless fruits. He now informs
us that all virtues, all proper and well regulated affections,
proceed from the Spirit, that is, from the grace of God, and
the renewed nature which we derive from Christ. As if he
had said, “ Nothing but what is evil comes from man; no-
thing good comes but from the Holy Spirit.” There have
often appeared in unrenewed men remarkable instances of
gentleness, integrity, temperance, and generosity ; but it is
certain that all were but specious disguises. Curius and
Fabricius were distinguished for courage, Cato for temper-
ance, Scipio for kindness and generosity, Fabius for patience ;
but it was only in the sight of men, and as members of civil
society, that they were so distinguished. In the sight of
God nothing is pure but what proceeds from the fountain of
all purity.

Joy does not here, I think, denote that “joy in the Holy
Ghost,” (Rom. xiv. 17,) of which he speaks elsewhere, but
that cheerful behaviour towards our fellow-men which is the

* “Tn the service of siz the toil is so great that, in comparison thereof,
the benefit is as nothing ; in the service of God the benefit is so great that,
in comparison thereof, the labour is as nothing. Where the flesh rules all,
the ‘ work’ exceeds the < fruit ; and therefore, without even mentioning
the ‘ work,’ it is called the ¢ fruit’ of the Spirit. (See Eph. v. 9, 11.)’—>
Bishop Sanderson.

168 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. Vv. 24.

opposite of moroseness. Faith means truth, and is contrasted
with cunning, deceit, and falsehood, as peace is with quarrels
and contentions. Long-suffering is gentleness of mind, which
disposes us to take everything in good part, and not to be
easily offended. The other terms require no explanation,
for the dispositions of the mind must be learned from the
outward conduct.

But if spiritual men are known by their works, what
judgment, it will be asked, shall we form of wicked men and
idolaters, who exhibited an illustrious resemblance of all the
virtues ? for it is evident from their works that they were
spiritual. I reply, as all the works of the flesh do not appear
openly in a carnal man, but his carnality is discovered by
one or another vice, so a single virtue will not entitle us to
conclude that a man is spiritual. Sometimes it wili be made
evident, by other vices, that sin reigns in him; and this
observation may be easily applied to all the cases which I
have enumerated. .

23. Against such there is no law. Some understand these
words as meaning simply that the law is not directed against
good works, “ from evil manners have sprung good laws.”
But Paul’s real meaning is deeper and less obvious ; namely,
that, where the Spirit reigns, the law has no longer any domi-
nion. By moulding our hearts to his own righteousness, the
Lord delivers us from the severity of the law, so that our in-
tercourse with himself is not regulated by its covenant, nor
our consciences bound by its sentence of condemnation. Yet
the law continues to teach and exhort, and thus performs its
own office; but our subjection to it is withdrawn by the
Spirit of adoption. He thus ridicules the false apostles,
who, while they enforced subjection to the law, were not less
eager to release themselves from its yoke. The only way,
he tells us, in which this is accomplished, is, when the Spirit
of God obtains dominion, from which we are led to conclude
that they had no proper regard to spiritual righteousness.

24. And they that are Christ’s. He adds this, in order to
show that all Christians have renounced the flesh, and there-
fore enjoy freedom. While he makes this statement, the
apostle reminds the Galatians what true Christianity is, so

CHAP. V. 26. EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. 169

far as relates to the life, and thus guards them against a
false profession of Christianity. The word crucified is em-
ployed to point out that the mortification of the flesh is the
effect of the cross of Christ. This work does not belong to
man. By the grace of Christ ‘ we have been planted to-
gether in the likeness of his death,” (Rom. vi. 5,) that we no
longer might live unto ourselves. If we are buried with
Christ, by true self-denial, and by the destruction of the old
man, we shall then enjoy the privilege of the sons of God.
The flesh is not yet indeed entirely destroyed ; but it has no
right to exercise dominion, and ought to yield to the Spirit.
The flesh and its lusts are a figure of speech of exactly the
same import with the éree and its fruits. The flesh itself is
the depravity of corrupt nature, from which all evil actions
proceed. (Matt. xv. 19; Mark vii. 21.) Hence it follows,
that the members of Christ have cause to complain, if they
are still held to be in bondage to the law, from which all who
have been regenerated by his Spirit are set free.

25. If we live in the Spirit. According to his usual cus-
tom, the apostle draws from the doctrine a practical exhorta-
tion. The death of the flesh is the life of the Spirit. If the
Spirit of God lives in us, let him govern our actions. There
will always be many persons daring enough to make a false
boast of living in the Spirit, but the apostle challenges them
to a proof of the fact. As the soul does not remain idle in
the body, but gives motion and vigour to every member and
part, so the Spirit of God cannot dwell in us without mani-
festing himself by the outward effects. By the life is here
meant the inward power, and by the walk the outward ac-
tions. The metaphorical use of the word walk, which fre-
quently occurs, describes works as evidences of the spiritual
life.

26. Let us not be desirous of vain-glory. The special ex-
hortations which were addressed to the Galatians were not
more necessary for them than they are adapted to our
own time. Of many evils existing in society at large, and
particularly in the church, ambition is the mother. Paul
therefore directs us to guard against it, for the vain-glory
(xevodo£ia) of which he speaks is nothing else than ambition,

170 COMMENTARIES ON THE cHap. vi. 1.
(didorepta,) or the desire of honour, by which every one desires
to excel all others. The heathen philosophers do not con-
demn every desire of glory ; but among Christians, whoever
is desirous of glory departs from true glory, and therefore is
justly charged with idle and foolish ambition. It is not law--
ful for us to glory but in God alone. Every other kind of
glorying is pure vanity. Mutual provocations and envyings
are the daughters ofambition. He who aspires to the highest
rank must of necessity envy all others, and disrespectful,
biting, stinging language is the unavoidable consequence.

CHAPTER VI.

1. Brethren, if a man be over- 1. Fratres, etiamsi preeoccupatus

taken in a fault, ye which are spiri-
tual restore such an one in the spirit
of meekness ; considering thyself,
lest thou also be tempted.

2. Bear ye one another’s burdens,
and so fulfil the law of Christ.

3. For if a man think himself to
be something, when he is nothing,
he deceiveth himself.

4, But let every man prove his
own work, and then shall he have
rejoicing in himself alone, and not
in another.

5. For every man shall bear his
own burden.

fuerit homo in aliquo lapsu, vos, qui
spirituales estis, instaurate ejusmodi
hominem spiritu lenitatis; conside-
rans te ipsum, ne tu quoque tenteris.

2. Alii aliorum onera portate, et
sic adimplete lezem Christi.

3. Nam si quis putat se esse ali-
quid, quum nihil sit, se ipsum de-
cipit.

4. Opus autem suum probet unus-
quisque ; et tunc in se ipso solo glo-
riam habebit, non autem in alio.

5. Quisque enim proprium onus
portabit.

1. Brethren, if a man be overtaken in any fault! Ambition

is a serious and alarming evil.

But hardly less injury is fre-

quently done by unseasonable and excessive severity, which,
under the plausible name of zeal, springs in many instances
from pride, and from dislike and contempt of the brethren.
Most men seize on the faults of brethren as an occasion of

1 « Tn the original it is ¢ tm ragarrdmers, in any fault.’ The expres-
sion is general, though it seems to refer to those works of the flesh of which
he had made mention in the 19th and following verses of the foregoing
chapter. ‘ If in any of these faults any person should happen to be
overtaken; the last word seems to denote somewhat of a surprise, by
which a man might be drawn into a sin, without any previous deliberate
purpose or design; a sin committed through some extraordinary and sud-
den temptation. The last words of the verse, ‘ lest thou also be tempted,’
seem plainly to intimate that this was the apostle’s meaning.”—Chandler.

CHAP. VI. 1. EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. 171

insulting them, and of using reproachful and cruel language.
Were the pleasure they take in upbraiding equalled by their
desire to produce amendment, they would act in a different
manner. Reproof, and often sharp and severe reproof, must
be administered to offenders. But while we must not shrink
from a faithful testimony against sin, neither must we omit
to mix oil with the vinegar.

We are here taught to correct the faults of brethren in a
mild manner, and to consider no rebukes as partaking a
religious and Christian character which do not breathe the
spirit of meekness. To gain this object, he explains the
design of pious reproofs, which is, to restore him who is fallen,
to place him in his former condition. ‘That design will never
be accomplished by violence, or by a disposition to accuse,
or by fierceness of manner or language ; and consequently,
we must display a gentle and meek spirit, if we intend to
heal our brother. And lest any man should satisfy himself
with assuming the outward form, he demands the spirit of
meekness ; for no man is prepared for chastising a brother
till he has succeeded in acquiring a gentle spirit.’

Another argument for gentleness in correcting brethren is
contained in the expression, “if a man be overtaken.” If
he has been carried away through want of consideration, or
through the cunning arts of a deceiver, it would be cruel to
treat such a man with harshness. Now, we know that: the
devil is alvays lying in wait, and has a thousand ways of
leading us astray. When we perceive a brother to have
transgressed, let us consider that he has fallen into the snares
of Satan ; let us be moved with compassion, and prepare our
minds to exercise forgiveness. But offences and falls of this
description must undoubtedly be distinguished from deep-
seated crimes, accompanied by deliberate and obstinate dis-
regard of the authority of God. Such a display of wicked and

1 « T observe an agreement in a somewhat peculiar rule of Christian
conduct, as laid down in this epistle, and as exemplified in the Second
Epistle to the Corinthians. It is not the repetition of the same general
precept, which would have been a coincidence of little value ; but it is the
general precept in one place, and the application of that precept to an
actual occurrence in the other. (See 2 Cor. ii. 6-8.) I have little doubt
but that it was the same mind which dictated these two passages.”—Paley’s
Hore Pauline.

2 c
Le COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. VI. 1,

perverse disobedience to God must be visited with greater
severity, for what advantage would be gained by gentle
treatment? The particle 2f also, (€av xai,) implies that not
only the weak who have been tempted, but those who have
yielded to temptation, shall receive forbearance.

Ye who are spiritual. This is not spoken in irony ; for,
however spiritual they might be, still they were not wholly
filled with the Spirit. It belongs to such persons to raise up
the fallen. To what better purpose can their superior attain-
ments be applied than to promote the salvation of the bre-
thren ? The more eminently any man is endowed with Divine
grace, the more strongly is he bound to consult the edifica-
tion of those who have been less favoured. But such is our
folly, that in our best duties we are apt to fail, and therefore
need the exhortation which the apostle gives to guard against
the influence of carnal views.

Considering thyself. It is not without reason that the
apostle passes from the plural to the singular number. He
gives weight to his admonition, when he addresses each
person individually, and bids him look carefully into himself.
“ Whoever thou art that takest upon thee the office of re-
proving others, look to thyself.” Nothing is more difficult
than to bring us to acknowledge or examine our own weak-
ness. Whatever may be our acuteness in detecting the faults
of others, we do not see, as the saying is, “ the wallet that
hangs behind our own back ;”* and therefore, to arouse us to
greater activity, he employs the singular number.

These words may admit of two senses. As we acknow-
ledge that we are liable to sin, we more willingly grant that
forgiveness to others which, in our turn, we expect will be
extended to us. Some interpret them in this manner: “Thou
who art asinner, and needest the compassion of thy brethren,
oughtest not to show thyself fierce and implacable to others.’”””
But I would rather choose to expound them as a warning
given by Paul, that, in correcting others, we should not our-

1 Catullus.
? « Even in those who do not need forbearance, nothing is more becoming
than gentleness ; and I reckon him to be the best and most blameless man

who pardons others, as if he were daily sinning, and yet abstains from sin,
as if he pardoned nobody.”— Plin. Ep.

CHAY. VI. 2. EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS, 7s

selves commit sin. There isa danger here which deserves
our most careful attention, and against which it is difficult
to guard ; for nothing is more easy than to exceed the proper
limits. The word tempt, however, may very properly be
taken in this passage as extended to the whole life. When-
ever we have occasion to pronounce censure, let us begin
with ourselves, and, remembering our own weakness, let us
be indulgent to others,

2. Bear ye one another’s burdens. The weaknesses or
sins, under which we groan, are called burdens. This phrase
is singularly appropriate in an exhortation to kind behaviour,
for nature dictates to us that those who bend under a burden
ought to be relieved. He enjoins us to bear the burdens.
We must not indulge or overlook the sins by which our bre-
thren are pressed down, but relieve them,—which can only
be done by mild and friendly correction. There are many
adulterers and thieves, many wicked and abandoned charac-
ters of every description, who would willingly make Christ
an accomplice in their crimes. All would choose to lay upon
believers the task of bearing their burdens. But as the
apostle had immediately before exhorted us to restore a
brother, the manner in which Christians are required to
bear one another’s burdens cannot be mistaken.

And so fulfil the law of Christ. The word law, when ap-
plied here to Christ, serves the place of an argument. There
is an implied contrast between the law of Christ and the law
of Moses. “Ifyou are very desirous to keep a law, Christ
enjoins on you a law which you are bound to prefer to all
others, and that is, to cherish kindness towards each other.
He who has not this has nothing. On the other hand, he
tells us, that, when every one compassionately assists his
neighbour, the law of Christ is fulfilled ; by which he inti-
mates that every thing which does not proceed from love
is superfluous ; for the composition of the Greek word
avaT\npacare, conveys the idea of what is absolutely perfect.
But as no man performs in every respect what Paul requires,
we are still at a distance from perfection. He who comes
the nearest to it with regard to others, is yet far distant with
respect to God.

174 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. VI. 4.

3. For if a man think himself. There is an ambiguity
in the construction, but Paul’s meaning is clear. The phrase,
When he is nothing, appears at first view to mean, “ if any
person, who is in reality nothing, claims to be something ;”
as there are many men of no real worth who are elated by a
foolish admiration of themselves. But the meaning is more
general, and may be thus expressed: “ Since all men are
nothing, he who wishes to appear something, and persuades
himself that he is somebody, deceives himself.” First, then,
he declares that we are nothing, by which he means, that we
have nothing of our own of which we have a right to boast,
but are destitute of every thing good: so that all our glory-
ing is mere vanity. Secondly, he infers that they who claim
something as their own deceive themselves. Now, since
nothing excites our indignation more than that others should
impose upon us, it argues the height of folly that we should
willingly impose upon ourselves. This consideration will
render us much more candid to others. Whence proceeds
fierce insult or haughty sternness, but from this, that every
one exalts himself in his own estimation, and proudly de-
spises others? Let arrogance be removed, and we shall all
discover the greatest. modesty in our conduct towards each
other.

4, But let every man prove his own work. By a powerful
blow, Paul has already struck down the pride of man. But
it frequently happens that, by comparing ourselves with
others, the low opinion which we form of them leads us to
entertain a high opinion of ourselves. Paul declares that no
such comparison ought to be allowed. Let no man, he says,
measure himself by the standard of another, or please him-
self with the thought, that others appear to him less worthy
of approbation. Let him lay aside all regard to other men,
examine his own conscience, and inquire what is his own
work, It is not what we gain by detracting from others,
but what we have without any comparison, that can be re-
garded as true praise.

Some consider Paul to be speaking in irony. “ Thou flat-
terest thyself by a comparison with the faults of others ; but
if thou wilt consider who thou art, thou wilt then enjoy the

ae

+7.)

1

CHAP. VI. 5. EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. UGS

praise which is justly due to thee.” In other words, no praise
whatever shall be thine; because there is no man by whom
the smallest portion of praise is really deserved. In confor-
mity with this view, the words that follow, every man shall
bear his own burden, are supposed to mean, that it is usual
for every man to bear his own burden. But the plain and
direct sense of the words agrees better with the apostle’s
reasoning. “ With respect to thyself alone, and not by
comparison with others, thou wilt have praise.’ I am well
aware that the next sentence, which annihilates all the glory
of man, has been regarded as justifying the ironical inter-
pretation. But the glorying of which this passage treats, is
that of a good conscience, in which the Lord allows his people
to indulge, and which Paul elsewhere expresses in very
animated language. “ Paul earnestly beholding the coun-
cil, said, Men and brethren, I have lived in all good con-
science before God until ae day.” (Acts xxi. 1.) This
is nothing more than an acknowledgment of Divine grace,
which fudenbs no praise whatever on man, but excites him
to give God the glory. Such a reason for glorying do the
godly find in themselves; and they ascribe it, not to
their own merits, but to the riches of the grace of God.
“For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of a good conscience,
that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wis-
dom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation
in the world.” (2 Cor.i. 12.) Our Lord himself instructs
us: “ But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet ;
and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father who
is in secret ; and thy Father, who seeth in secret, shall re-
ward thee openly.” (Matt. vi. 6.) Strictly speaking, he
makes no assertion, but leads us to conclude, that, when a
man is valued for his own worth, and not for the baseness of
others, the praise is just and substantial. The statement is
therefore conditional, and imports that none are entitled to
be regarded as good men, who are not found to be so, apart
from the consideration of others.

5. For every man shall bear his own burden. To destroy
sloth and pride, he brings before us the judgment of God, in
which every individual for himself, and without a compari-

COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. VI. 6.
son with others, will give an account of his life. It is thus
that we are deceived ; for, if a man who has but one eye is
placed among the blind, he considers his vision to be perfect ;
and a tawny person among negroes thinks himself white.
The apostle affirms that the false conclusions to which we
are thus conducted will find no place in the judgment of
God ; because there every one will bear his own burden, and
none will stand acquitted by others from their own sins.

This is the true meaning of the words.

6. Let him that is taught in the
word communicate unto him that
teacheth in all good things.

7. Be not deceived; God is not
mocked: for_ whatsoever a man
soweth, that shall he also reap.

8. For he that soweth to his flesh,
shall of the flesh reap corruption ;
but he that soweth to the Spirit,
shall of the Spirit reap life everlast-
ing.

9. And let us not be weary in
well-doing : for in due season we
shall reap, if we faint not.

10. As we have therefore oppor-
tunity, let us do good unto all men,
especially unto them who are of the

6. Communicet is, qui institui-
tur in sermone, cum doctore, in om-
nibus bonis.

7. Ne erretis: Deus non subsan-
natur; quod enim seminaverit ho-
mo, hoc etiam metet.

8. Nam qui seminat carni sue,
ex carne metet corruptionem ; qui
autem seminat Spiritui, ex Spiritu
metet vitam zternam.

9. Bonum autem faciendo-né de-
fatigemur; nam si non defecerimus,
metemus opportuno tempore.

10. Ergo ubi tempus habemus,
benefaciamus erga omnes, preeser-
tim verd erga domesticos fidei.

household of faith.

6. Let him that is taught in the word. It is probable that
the teachers and ministers of the word were at that time
neglected. This shewed the basest ingratitude. How dis-
graceful is it to defraud of their temporal support those by
whom our souls are fed !—to refuse an earthly recompense
to those-from whom we receive heavenly benefits! But it
is, and always has been, the disposition of the world, freely
to bestow on the ministers of Satan every luxury, and hardly
to supply godly pastors with necessary food. Though it
does not become us to indulge too much in complaint, or to
be too tenacious of our rights, yet Paul found himself called
upon to exhort the Galatians to perform this part of their
duty. He was the more ready to do so, because he had no
private interest in the matter, but consulted the universal
benefit of the Church, without any regard to his own advan-
tage. He saw that the ministers of the word were neglected,

Cae

Lod

CHAP. VI. 7. EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. 177

because the word itself was despised ; for if the word be
truly esteemed, its ministers will always receive kind and
honourable treatment. It is one of the tricks of Satan to
defraud godly ministers of support, that the Church may be
deprived of such ministers.’ An earnest desire to preserve a
gospel ministry, led to Paul’s recommendation that proper
attention should be paid to good and faithful pastors.

The word is here put, by way of eminence, (car e&oynv,)
for the doctrine of godliness. Support is declared to be due
to those by whom we are taught im the word. Under this
designation the Papal system supports idle bellies of dumb
men, and fierce wild beasts, who have nothing in common
with the doctrine of Christ. Jn all good things. He does
not propose that no limit should be set to their worldly en-
joyments, or that they should revel in superfluous abundance,
but merely that none of the necessary supports of life should
be withheld. Ministers ought to be satisfied with moderate
fare, and the danger which attends pomp and luxury ought
to be prevented. To supply their real necessities, let be-
lievers cheerfully devote any part of their property that may
be required for the services of devout and holy teachers.
What return will they make for the invaluable treasure of
eternal life, which is communicated to them by the preach-
ing of those men ?

7. God is not mocked. The design of this observation is
to reply to the dishonest excuses which are frequently
pleaded. One alleges that he has a family to support, and
another asserts that he has no superfluity of wealth to spend
in liberality or profusion. The consequence is, that, while
such multitudes withhold their aid, the few persons who do
their duty are generally unable to contribute the necessary
support. These apologies Paul utterly rejects, for a reason
which the world little considers, that this transaction is with
God. The supply ofa man’s bodily wants is not the sole ques-
tion, but involves the degree of our regard for Christ and his
gospel. This passage contains evidence that the custom of
treating faithful ministers with scorn did not originate in the
present day; but theirwicked taunts will not pass unpunished.

1 “Ve tels serviteurs.” “Of such servants.”
M

178 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. VI. 8.

For whatsoever a man soweth. Our liberality is restrained
by the supposition, that whatever passes into the hands of
another is lost to ourselves, and by the alarm we feel about
our own prospects in life. Paul meets these views by a
comparison drawn from seed-time, which, he tells us, is a fit
. representation of acts of beneficence. On this subject we
had occasion to speak, in expounding the Second Epistle to
the Corinthians, where the same metaphor was employed.
Happy would it be for us, if this truth were deeply impressed
upon our minds. How “ very gladly” would we “spend and
be spent” (2 Cor. xii. 15) for the good of our neighbours,
encouraged by the hope of the coming harvest ! No opera-
tion is more cheerfully performed by husbandmen than
throwing the seed into the ground. They are enabled to
wait with patience during nine months of the year, by the
expectation of reaping a corruptible harvest, while our minds
are not properly affected by the hope of a blessed immor-
tality.

8. For he that soweth to his flesh. Waving stated the
general sentiment, he now divides it into parts. To sow to
the flesh, is to look forward to the wants of the present life,
without any regard to a future life. They who do this will
gather fruit corresponding to the seed which they have sown,
—will heap up that which shall miserably perish. To sow
in the flesh, (seminare in carne,) is supposed by some to mean
indulgence in the lusts of the flesh, and corruption to mean
destruction ; but the former exposition agrees better with
the context. In departing from the old translation and from
Erasmus, I have not acted rashly. The Greek words, 6
oTeipwv eis THY capKa éavTod, literally signify, he that soweth
into his flesh. And what else does this mean, but to be so
entirely devoted to the flesh, as to direct all our thoughts to
its interests or convenience ?

But he that soweth to the spirit. By the spirit I under-
stand the spiritual life, to which they are said to sow whose
views are directed more to heaven than to earth, and whose
life is regulated by the desire of reaching the kingdom of
God. From their spiritual employments they will reap in
heaven incorruptible fruit. Those employments are deno-

ee ee?

CHAP. vi. 9. EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. 179

minated spiritual on account of their end, though in some
respects they are external and relate to the body, as in the
very case now under consideration of supporting pastors. If
the Papists shall endeavour, in their usual manner, to build
upon these words the righteousness of works, we have
already shewn how easily their absurdities may be exposed.
Though eternal life is a reward, it does not follow either
that we are justified by works, or that works are meritorious
of salvation. The undeserved kindness of God appears in
the very act of honouring the works which his grace has
enabled us to perform, by promising to them a reward to
which they are not entitled.

Is a more complete solution of the question demanded ?
1. We have no good works which God rewards but those
which we derive from his grace. 2. The good works which
we perform by the guidance and direction of the Holy Spirit,
are the fruits of that adoption which is an act of free grace.
3. They are not only unworthy of the smallest and most in-
considerable reward, but deserve to be wholly condemned,
because they are always stained by many blemishes; and
what have pollutions to do with the presence of God ?
4. Though a reward had been a thousand times promised to
works, yet it is not due but by fulfilling the condition of
obeying the law perfectly ; and how widely distant are we
all from that perfection! Let Papists now go and attempt
to force their way into heaven by the merit of works. We
cheerfully concur with Paul and with the whole Bible in
acknowledging, that we are unable to do anything but by
the free grace of God, and yet that the benefits resulting
from our works receive the name of a reward.

9. Let us not be weary in well-doing. Well-doing (ro
xadov) does not simply mean doing our duty, but the perform-
ance of acts of kindness, and has a reference to men. We
are instructed not to be weary in assisting our neighbours,
in performing good offices, and in exercising generosity.
This precept is highly necessary ; for we are naturally reluc-
tant to discharge the duties of brotherly love, and many un-
pleasant occurrences arise by which the ardour of the best
disposed persons is apt to be cooled. We meet with many

180 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. VI. 10.

unworthy and many ungrateful persons. The vast number
of necessitous cases overwhelms us, and the applications
which crowd upon us from every quarter exhaust our pa-
tience. Our warmth is abated by the coolness of other
men. In short, the world presents innumerable hinderances,
which tend to lead us aside from the right path. Most pro-
perly, therefore, does Paul admonish us not to relax through
weariness.

If we faint not. That is, we shall reap the fruit which
God promises, if we “persevere to the end.” (Matt. x. 22.)
Those who do not persevere resemble indolent husbandmen,
who, after ploughing and sowing, leave the work unfinished,
and neglect to take the necessary precautions for protecting
the seed from being devoured by birds, or scorched by the
sun, or destroyed by cold. It is to no purpose that we be-
gin to do good, if we do not press forward to the goal.

In due season. Let no man, from a wish to gather the
fruit in this life, or before its proper time, deprive himself
of the spiritual harvest. The desires of believers must be
both supported and restrained by the exercise of hope and
patience.

10. While we have opportunity. The metaphor is still
pursued. Every season is not adapted to tillage and sow-
ing. Active and prudent husbandmen will observe the
proper season, and will not indolently allow it to pass unim-
proved. Since, therefore, God has set apart the whole of the
present life for ploughing and sowing, let us avail ourselves
of the season, lest, through our negligence, it may be taken
out of our power. Beginning with liberality to ministers of
the gospel, Paul now makes a wider application of his doe-
trine, and exhorts us to do good to all men, but recom-
mends to our particular regard the household of faith, or
believers, because they belong to the same family with our-
selves. This similitude is intended to excite us to that kind
of communication which ought to be maintained among the

1 'Eyevidnoay auPorego xara Tous idious xusoous TUeayvoL Zugaxourwy.
* Both at their own time became tyrants of Syracuse.”—Polybius. Xeno-
phon and other classical writers employ the phrase #» xae@ in the general

sense of “ seasonably,” and sometimes very nearly in the same sense as
when the adjective 90s isadded. Kug. Wad. viii. 5. 5,—Ed

CHAP. VI. 12. EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. 181
members of one family. There are duties which we owe to
all men arising out of a common nature; but the tie of a

more sacred relationship, established by God himself, binds

us to believers.

11. Ye see how large a letter I
have written unto you with mine
own hand.

12. As many as desire to make a
fair shew in the flesh, they constrain
you to be circumcised ; only lest they
should suffer persecution for the cross
of Christ.

13. For neither they themselves
who are circumcised keep the law;

11. Videtis, qualibus literis vobis
scripserim mea manu.

12. Quicunque volunt placere
juxta faciem in carne, hi cogunt
vos cireumcidi; tantum ut ne perse-
quutionem sustineant cruce Christi.

13. Neque enim qui circumci-
duntur, ipsi Legem servant ; sed vo-

lunt vos circumcidi, ut in carne

but desire to have you circumcised,
vestra glorientur.

that they may glory in your flesh.

11. Ye see. The meaning of the Greek verb (Sere, is so far
doubtful that it may be taken either in the imperative or
indicative mood ; but the force of the passage is little if at
all affected. ‘To convince the Galatians more fully of his
anxiety about them, and at the same time to ensure their
careful perusal, he mentions that this long Epistle had been
written with his own hand. The greater the toil to which
he had submitted on their account, the stronger were their
inducements to read it, not in a superficial manner, but with
the closest attention.

12. As many as desire to make a fair shew in the flesh.
Such men pay no regard to edification, but are guided by an
ambitious desire to hunt after popular applause. The Greek
verb evrpocwryca,' is highly expressive, and denotes the
kind looks and address which were assumed for the purpose
of pleasing. He charges the false apostles with ambition.
As if he had said, “ When those men lay circumcision upon
you as a necessary burden, do you wish to know what sort
of persons they are, what are the objects of their regard or

1 « The word we render, ‘to make a fair shew,’ properly signifies to be
handsome and lovely. Hence it is used to signify anything that recom-
mends itself by its specious appearance. [Thus éversyia sirgocaizres, Lu-
cian.] Now this was the case of these Judaising teachers. Their great
care was to avoid persecution: and, in order to this, they made it their
study sirgocwriou, to keep fair with the Jews, ¢» czexi, by means of the
flesh, that is, not only by boasting of their own circumcision, but by mak-

ing it a point of merit with them, that they had pressed the necessity of
circumcision upon others.”—Chandler.

182 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP, VI. 13.

pursuit? You are mistaken if you imagine that they are at
all influenced by godly zeal. To gain or preserve the favour
of men is the object they have in view in offering this bribe.”
It was because they were Jews that they adopted this method
of retaining the good-will, or at ieast allaying the resent-
ment, of their own nation. It is the usual practice of ambi-
tious men meanly to fawn on those from whose favour they
hope to derive advantage, and to insinuate themselves into
their good graces, that, when better men have been displaced,
they may enjoy the undivided power. This wicked design
he lays open to the Galatians, in order to put them on their
guard.

Only lest they should suffer persecution. ‘The pure preach-
ing of the gospel is again designated the cross of Christ.
But there is likewise an allusion to their favourite scheme
of resolving to preach Christ without the cross. The deadly
rage by which the Jews were animated against Paul, arose
from their being unable to endure a neglect of ceremonies.
To avoid persecution, those men flattered the Jews. Yet
after all, if they had themselves kept the law, their conduct
might have been suffered. On the contrary, they disturbed
the whole church for the sake of their personal ease, and
scrupled not to lay a tyrannical yoke on the consciences of
men, that they might be entirely freed from bodily uneasi-
ness. A dread of the cross led them to corrupt the true
preaching of the cross.

13. For neither they who hold by circumcision keep the law.
The old version and Erasmus translate thus: who are circwm-
cised. But Paul appears to me to refer to teachers only;
and for this reason I would prefer to render the words, those
who hold by circumcision, which would not include all cir-
cumcised persons, and thus would avoid ambiguity. The
meaning is, “It is not from a strong attachment to the law
that they bind you with the yoke of ceremonies ; for, even
with their own circumcision, they do not keep the law. It
is no doubt under the pretext of the law that they require
you to be circumcised; but, though they have themselves
been circumcised, they do not perform what they enjoin
upon others.” When he says, indeed, that they do not keep

OHAP. VI. 13. EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. 183
the law, it is doubtful whether he refers to the whole law, or
to ceremonies. Some understand him as saying that the law
is an intolerable burden, and therefore they do not satisfy
its demands. But he rather insinuates against them a charge
of insincerity, because, except when it suited their own de-
signs, they found themselves at liberty to despise the law.

Even now this disease rages everywhere with virulence.
You will find many who are prompted more by ambition
than by conscience to defend the tyranny of the papal system.
I speak of our courtly apostles, who are attracted by the
smell of a kitchen, and who pronounce, with an air of autho-
rity, that the decrees of the holy Church of Rome must be
observed with reverence. And what is their own practice
all the while! They pay no more regard to any decisions
of the Roman see than to the braying of an ass, but they
take care to avoid personal risk. In short, Paul had the
same kind of controversy with those impostors as we now
have with hypocritical professors of the gospel, who hold out
to us a monstrous union between Christ and the Pope. Paul
therefore declares that they are not acting the part of honest
men, and that they have no other object in enjoining cir-
cumecision than to boast to the Jews of the converts they
have made. Such is the import of the words, that they may
glory in your flesh. “ They wish to triumph over you, and to
gratify their own desire of applause, by offering up your
mutilated flesh to the false zealots of the law, as a token of
peace and harmony.”

14. But God forbid that I should
glory, save in the cross of our Lord
Jesus Christ, by whom the world is
crucified unto me, and I unto the
world.

15. For in Christ Jesus neither

14. Mihi autem absit gloriari,
nisi in cruce Domini nostri Iesu
Christi, per quam mundus mihi cru-
cifixus est, et ego mundo.

15. Nam in Christo neque circum-

circumcision availeth any thing, nor
uncircumcision, but a new creature.

16. And as many as walk accord-
ing to this rule, peace be on them,
and mercy, and upon the Israel of
God.

17. From henceforth let no man
trouble me: for I bear in my body
the marks of the Lord Jesus.

18. Brethren, the grace of our

cisio quicquam valet, neque prepu-
tium; sed nova creatura.

16. Et quicunque hae regula am-
bulabunt, pax super eos et miseri-
cordia, et super Israelem Dei.

17. In reliquis nemo facessat mihi
molestiam ; ego enim stigmata Do-
mini Jesu in corpore meo porto.

18. Gratia Domini nostri Icsu

184 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. VI. 14.

Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Christi cum spiritu vestro, fratres.

Amen. Amen.
Unto the Galatians written from Ad Galatas missa fuit e Roma.
Rome.

14. But God forbid thai 1 should glory. The designs of
the false apostles are here contrasted with his own sincerity.
As if he had said, “'To avoid being compelled to bear a
cross, they deny the cross of Christ, purchase with your
flesh the applause of men, and end by triumphing over you.
But my triumph and my glory are in the cross of the
Son of God.” If the Galatians had not been utterly desti-
tute of common sense, ought they not to have held in abhor-
rence the men whom they beheld making sport of their
dangerous condition ?

To glory in the cross of Christ, is to glory in Christ cruci-
fied. But something more is implied. In that death,—so
full of disgrace and ignominy, which God himself has pro-
nounced to be accursed, and which men are wont to view
with abhorrence and shame,—in that death he will glory,
because he obtains in it perfect happiness. Where man’s
highest good exists, there is his glory. But why does not
Paul seek it elsewhere ? Though salvation is held out to us
in the cross of Christ, what does he think of his resurrection ?
I answer, in the cross redemption in all its parts is found,
but the resurrection of Christ does not lead us away from
the cross. And let it be carefully observed, that every other
kind of glorying is rejected by him as nothing short of a
capital offence. ‘“‘ May God protect us from such a fearful
calamity!” Such is the import of the phrase which Paul
constantly employs, God forbid.

By wuicu the world is crucified. As the Greek word for
cross, otavpos, is masculine, the relative pronoun may be
either rendered by whom, or by which, according as we
refer it to Christ or to the cross. In my opinion, how-
ever, it is more proper to apply it to the cross; for by it
strictly we die to the world. But what is the meaning of
the world? It is unquestionably contrasted with the new
creature. Whatever is opposed to the spiritual king-
dom of Christ is the world, because it belongs to the old

CHAP.VI. 16, EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. 185

man ; or, in a word, the world is the object and aim of the
old man.

The world is crucifiedto me. This exactly agrees with the
language which he employs on another occasion. “ But
what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ ;
yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excel-
lency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord; for whom
Ihave suffered the loss of all things, and do count them
but dung, that I may win Christ.” (Phil. 11. 7, 8) To
crucify the world is to treat it with contempt and disdain.

He adds, and I unto the world. By this he means that he
regarded himself as unworthy to be taken into the account,
and indeed as utterly annihilated ; because this was a mat-
ter with which a dead man had nothing to do. At all
events, he means, that by the mortification of the old man
he had renounced the world. Some take his meaning to be,
“ Tf the world looks upon me as abhorred and excommuni-
cated, I consider the world to be condemned and accursed.”
This appears to me to be overstrained, but I leave my
readers to judge.

15. For in Christ Jesus. The reason why he is crucified
to the world, and the world to him, is, that in Christ, to whom
he is spiritually united, nothing but a new creature is of any
avail. Everything else must be dismissed, must perish. I
refer to those things which hinder the renewing of the Spirit.
“Tf any man be in Christ,” says he, “let him be a new
creature.” (2 Cor. v.17.) That is, if any man wishes to be
considered as belonging to the kingdom of Christ, let him
be created anew by the Spirit of God ; let him not live any
longer to himself or to the world, but let him be raised up
to “newness of life.’ (Rom. vi. 4.) His reasons for con-
cluding that neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is of
any importance, have been already considered. The truth
of the gospel swallows up, and brings to nought, all the
shadows of the law.

16. And as many as walk according to this rule. ‘“ May
they enjoy all prosperity and happiness!” This is not
merely a prayer in their behalf, but a token of approbation.
His meaning therefore is, that those who teach this doctrine

186 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. vi. 16.

are worthy of all esteem and regard, and those who reject it
do not deserve to be heard. The word rule denotes the
regular and habitual course which all godly ministers of
the gospel ought to pursue. Architects employ a model
in the erection of buildings, to assist them in preserving the
proper form and just proportions. Such a model (xavéva)
does the apostle prescribe to the ministers of the word, who
are to build the church “ according to the pattern shewn
to them.” (Heb. viii. 5.)

Faithful and upright teachers, and all who allow them-
selves to conform to this rule, must derive singular encour-
agement from this passage, in which God, by the mouth of
Paul, pronounces on them a blessing. We have no cause
to dread the thunders of the Pope, if God promises to us
from heaven peace and mercy. The word walk may ap-
ply both to a minister and to his people, though it refers
chiefly to ministers. The future tense of the verb, (dc0z
oToryncovew,) “as many as shall walk,” is intended to ex-
press perseverance.

And upon the Israel of God.1 This is an indirect ridicule
of the vain boasting of the false apostles, who vaunted of
being the descendants of Abraham according to the flesh.
There are two classes who bear this name, a pretended
Israel, which appears to be so in the sight of men,—and
the Israel of God. Circumcision was a disguise before men,
but regeneration is a truth before God. In a word, he
gives the appellation of the Israel of God to those whom
he formerly denominated the children of Abraham by
faith, (Gal. ili. 29,) and thus includes all believers, whether
Jews or Gentiles, who were united into one church. On
the contrary, the name and lineage are the sole boast of
Israel according to the flesh; and this led the apostle to
argue in the Epistle to the Romans, that “ they are not all

1 Iogunhirindy yg rd dAnbivov, wvsvmarixnoy, nal “ladda yévos, xal "laxwB, nal
Ioan, nal’ ABpudy, rou tv axpouorin tal 77 xiores peagruenbivras bx0 Tov Osad xal
ebaoynbivros, xual mareds worry ibvav xAndévros, Huctis tower, of dik rovTov orav-
eubivros Xeirrod rH Och Toocaxbévees. “We, who have been brought to God by
this crucified Christ, are the true spiritual Israel, and the seed of Judah,
and of Jacob, and of Isaac, and of Abraham, whose faith was attested,

and who was blessed by God, and called the father of many nations, while
he was in cireumcision.”— Justin Martyr.

CHAP. vi. 17. EFISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. 187

Israel which are of Israel, neither because they are the seed
of Abraham, are they all children.” (Rom. ix. 6, 7.)

17. Let no man trouble me. He now speaks with the
voice of authority for restraining his adversaries, and em-
ploys language which his high rank fully authorized. “ Let
them cease to throw hinderances in the course of my
preaching.” He was prepared, for the sake of the church,
to encounter difficulties, but does not choose to be inter-
rupted by contradiction. Let no man trouble me. Let no
man make opposition to obstruct the progress of my
work.

As to everything else, (rod dor7rov,) that is, as to every-
thing besides the new creature, “ This one thing is enough
forme. Other matters are of no importance, and give me
no concern. Let no man question me about them.” He
thus places himself above all men, and allows to none the
power of attacking his ministry. Literally, the phrase sig-
nifies, as to the rest or the remainder, which Erasmus, in my
opinion, has improperly applied to time.

For I bear! in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.
This accounts for his bold, authoritative language. And
what were those marks? Imprisonment, chains, scourging,
blows, stoning, and every kind of injurious treatment which
he had incurred in bearing testimony to the gospel. Earthly
warfare has its honours, in conferring which a general holds
out to public view the bravery of a soldier. So Christ our
leader has his own marks, of which he makes abundant
use, for conferring on some of his followers a high dis-
tinction. These marks, however, differ from the other in
one important respect, that they partake of the nature of
the cross, and in the sight of the world are disgraceful.
This is suggested by the word translated marks, (oréy-
wara,) for it literally denotes the marks with which bar-
barian slaves, or fugitives, or malefactors, were usually
branded. Paul, therefore, can hardly be said to use a figure,
when he boasts of shining in those marks with which Christ

1 Obx clare 08 tym, dAAw Bacrdlw doree ti TesTa0y A onueiov Baciindy, xa

rovros tvaBedvoues. “ He does not say, lL have, but, I bear, as some trophy
or royal symbol ; and I deck myself with them.”—Theophylact.

188 COMMENTARIES ON THE GALATIANS. CHAP. VI. 18.

is accustomed to honour his most distinguished soldiers,’
which in the eye of the world were attended by shame
and disgrace, but which before God and the angels surpass
all the honours of the world.”

18. The grace® of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your

spirit. His prayer is not only that God may bestow upon
them his grace in large measure, but that they may have a
proper feeling of it in their hearts. Then only is it truly
enjoyed by us, when it comes to our spirit. We ought there-
fore to entreat that God would prepare in our souls a habi-
tation for his grace. Amen.

1 « There is no warlike weapon, ourye abn ixvn tv tuaura Péew, Of which I
do not bear the marks upon me.”—Arrian.

2 « So far am I from being liable to be torn away from the truth of
the gospel, by any reproaches or afflictions, that the disgrace inflicted on
me for Christ’s sake, and the imprisonment, and scourging, and _ bonds,
and stonings, and other distresses which I have endured for the name of
Christ, shall be carried about with me, in my body, wherever I go, as
marks and tokens of my Lord Jesus Christ. I will exhibit them as so
many trophies, and will reckon it to be my glory, that I am counted
worthy to imitate, in any manner, the cross of Christ which I preach.”—
Erasmus’s Paraphrase.

* “ It is of little moment whether, by the ‘ grace,’ we understand that
free love and favour, which He always bears in his heart to all that be-
lieve in his name, or all that kindness—all those heavenly and spiritual
blessings—in the communication of which He manifests this love, this free
favour.”—Brown.

END OF THE COMMENTARIES ON THE
EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS,

COMMENTARIES

he le ee ee

at

Soe

re y
a! rane Ns

Be - os i. er: ae comes z
ae eh EN hae ue

Hi 240i ME ! MO nal

THE ARGUMENT

OF

THE EPISTLE OF PAUL TO THE EPHESIANS.

Eruesus, which is familiarly known in history under a
great variety of names,! was a very celebrated city of Lesser
Asia. The remarkable events connected with the work of
God in “ forming there a people for himself,” (Isa. xlii. 21,)
through the labours of Paul, together with the commence-
ment and progress of that church, are related by Luke in
the Acts of the Apostles. At present, I shall do nothing
more than glance at what bears directly on the argument of
the Epistle. The Ephesians had been instructed by Paul in
the pure doctrine of the gospel. At a later period, while he
was a prisoner at Rome, and perceiving that they needed
confirmation, he wrote to them, on that account, the present
Epistle.

The first three chapters are chiefly occupied with com-
mending the grace of God. Immediately after the salutation
in the commencement of the first chapter, he treats of God’s
free election. This affords him an opportunity of stating
that they were now called into the kingdom of God, because
they had been appointed to life before they were born. And
here occurs a striking display of God’s wonderful mercy,
when the salvation of men is traced to its true and native
source, the free act of adoption. But as the minds of men
are ill fitted to receive so sublime a mystery, he betakes
himself to prayer, that God would enlighten the Ephesians
in the full knowledge of Christ.

’ See Rosenmiiller’s Biblical Geography, vol. xxvii. p. 26, Biblical
Cabinet.

192 THE ARGUMENT.

In the second chapter, by drawing two comparisons, he
places in a strong light the riches of divine grace. 1. He
reminds them how wretched they were before they were
called to Christ. We never become duly sensible of our ob-
ligations to Christ, nor estimate aright his kindness towards
us, till we have been led to view, on the other side, the un-
happy condition in which we formerly were “ without Christ.”
(Eph. ii. 12.) 2. The Gentiles were “aliens” from the pro-
mises of eternal life, which God had been pleased to bestow
on the Jews alone.

In the third chapter, he declares that he had been ap-
pointed to be, in a peculiar manner, the Apostle of the
Gentiles, because, for a long period, they were “ strangers
and foreigners,” (Eph. ii. 19,) but are now included among
the people of God. As this was an unusual event, and as
its very novelty produced uneasiness in many minds, he calls
it a “ mystery which in other ages was not made known to
the sons of men,” (Eph. iii. 4, 5,) but “the dispensation”
(Eph. iii. 2) of which had been intrusted to himself.

Towards the close of the chapter, he again prays that God
would grant to the Ephesians such an intimate knowledge of
Christ, that they would have no desire to know anything else.
His object in doing so is not merely to lead them to gratitude
to God for so many favours, and to the expression of that
gratitude by entire devotion to his service, but still more to
remove all doubt about his own calling. Paul was probably
afraid that the false apostles would shake their faith by in-
sinuating that they had been only half-instructed. They had
been Gentiles, and, when they embraced pure Christianity,
had been told nothing about ceremonies or circumcision. But
all who enjoined on Christians the observance of the law
were loud in the avowal, that those who have not been in-
troduced into the church of God by circumcision must be
held as profane persons. This was their ordinary song, that
no man who is not circumcised is entitled to be reckoned
among the people of God, and that all the rites prescribed
by Moses ought to be observed. Accordingly, they brought
it as a charge against Paul, that he exhibited Christ as
equally the Saviour of Gentiles and of Jews. They asserted

THE ARGUMENT. 193

that his apostleship was a profanation of the heavenly doc-
trine, because it threw open to wicked men, without discri-
mination, a share in the covenant of grace.

That the Ephesians, when assailed by these calumnies,
might not give way, he resolved to meet them. While he
argues so earnestly that they were called to the gospel be-
cause they had been chosen before the creation of the world,
he charges them, on the other hand, not to imagine that the
gospel had been accidentally brought to them by the will of
men, or that it flew to them by chance;' for the preaching of
Christ among them was nothing else than the announcement
of that eternal decree. While he lays before them the unhappy
condition of their former life, he at the same time reminds
them that the singular and astonishing mercy of God ap-
peared in rescuing them from so deep a gulf. While he sets
before their eyes his own commission as the apostle of the
Gentiles, he confirms them in the faith which they had once
received, because they had been divinely admitted into the
communion of the church. And yet each of the sentences
to which we have now referred must be viewed as an ex-
hortation fitted to excite the Ephesians to gratitude. °

In the fourth chapter, he describes the manner in which
the Lord governs and protects his church, which is, by the
gospel preached by men. Hence it follows, that in no other
way can its integrity be preserved, and that the object at
which it aims is true perfection. The apostle’s design is, to
commend to the Ephesians the ministry by which God reigns
amongst us. He afterwards details the fruits of this preach-
ing,—a holy life and all the duties of piety. Nor does he
satisfy himself with describing in general terms how Chris-
tians ought to live, but lays down particular exhortations
adapted to the various relations of society.

" “Ou, quil ait prins sa volee vers eux.” “ Or, that it took its flight
towards them.”

COMMENTARIES

ON THE

EPISTLE OF PAUL TO THE EPHESIANS.

CHAPTER I.

1. Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ
by the will of God, to the saints
which are at Ephesus, and to the
faithful in Christ Jesus :

2. Grace be to you, and peace,
from God our Father, and from the
Lord Jesus Christ.

3. Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath
blessed us with all spiritual blessings
in heavenly places in Christ;

4. According as he hath chosen

usin him before the foundation of :

the world, that we should be holy and
without blame before him in love:

5. Having predestinated us unto
the adoption of children by Jesus
Christ to himself, according to the
good pleasure of his will,

6. To the praise of the glory of
his grace, wherein he hath made us
accepted in the beloved.

1. Paul, an apostle.

1. Paulus Apostolus Iesu Christi
per voluntatem Dei, sanctis omnibus
qui sunt Ephesi, et fidelibus in Chris-
to Tesu,

2. Gratia vobis et pax a Deo Pa-
tre nostro, et Domino Iesu Christo.

3. Benedictus Deus et Pater Do-
mini nostri Iesu Christi, qui bene-
dixit nos in omni benedictione spi-
rituali, in ccelestibus Christo ;

4. Quemadmodum elegit nos in
ipso ante mundi creationem, ut simus
sancti et inculpati in conspectu suo
per charitatem ;

5. Qui preedestinavit nos in adop-
tionem per Iesum Christum in seipso,
secundum beneplacitum voluntatis
sue,

6. In laudem glorie gratie sue,
qua nos gratos habuit in dilecto.

As the same form of salutation, or

at least very little varied, is found in all the Epistles, it
would be superfluous to repeat here the observations which
we have formerly made. He calls himself “an apostle of
Jesus Christ ;” for all to whom has been given the ministry
of reconciliation are his ambassadors. The word Apostle,
indeed, carries something more ; for it is not every minister
of the gospel, as we shall afterwards see, (Eph. iv. 11,) that
can be called an apostle. But this subject has been explained
more fully in my remarks on the Epistle to the Galatians.
He adds, by the will of God ; for “no man ought to take

196 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. IL. 3.

this honour unto himself,” (Heb. v. 4,) but every man ought
to wait for the calling of God, which alone makes lawful
ministers. He thus meets the jeers of wicked men by hold-
ing out the authority of God, and removes every occasion of
inconsiderate strife.

To all the saints. He gives the name of saints to those
whom he afterwards denominates faithful in Christ Jesus.
No man, therefore, is a believer who is not also a saint; and,
on the other hand, no man is a saint who is not a believer.
Most of the Greek copies want the word all; but I was
unwilling to strike it out, because it must, at all events, be
understood.

3. Blessed) be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The lofty terms in which he extolls the grace of God toward
the Ephesians, are intended to rouse their hearts to grati-
tude, to set them all on flame, to fill them even to overflowing
with this thought. They who perceive in themselves disco-
veries of the Divine goodness, so full and absolutely perfect,
and who make them the subject of earnest meditation, will
never embrace new doctrines, by which the very grace which
they feel so powerfully in themselves is thrown into the
shade. The design of the apostle, therefore, in asserting the
riches of divine grace toward the Ephesians, was to protect
them against having their faith shaken by the false apostles,
as if their calling were doubtful, or salvation were to be
sought in some other way. He shews, at the same time,
that the full certainty of future happiness rests on the reve-
lation of his love to us in Christ, which God makes in the
gospel. But to confirm the matter more fully, he rises to
the first cause, to the fountain,—the eternal election of God,
by which, ere we are born, (Rom. ix. 11,) we are adopted as
sons. This makes it evident that their salvation was accom-
plished, not by any accidental or unlooked-for occurrence,
but by the eternal and unchangeable decree of God.

The word bless is here used in more than one sense, as

1 « As to the accumulation of cognate terms in sdAsynrés, sbacyaows, and
sbaoyia, it may be observed, that in composition such was by the ancients,

especially the early writers, rather sought after as a beauty than avoided
as a blemish.” —Bloomfield.

CHAP. I. 4. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 197

referring to God, and as referring to men. I find in Scrip-
ture four different significations of this word. 1. Weare said
to bless God when we offer praise to him for his goodness.
2. God is said to bless us, when he crowns our undertakings
with success, and, in the exercise of his goodness, bestows
upon us happiness and prosperity ; and the reason is, that
our enjoyments depend entirely upon his pleasure. Our
attention is here called to the singular efficacy which dwells
in the very word of God, and which Paul expresses in
beautiful language. 3. Men bless each other by prayer.
4. The priest’s blessing is not simply a prayer, but is like-
wise a testimony and pledge of the Divine blessing ; for the
priests received a commission to bless in the name of the
Lord. Paul therefore blesses God, because he hath blessed
us, that is, hath enriched us with all blessing and grace.

With all spiritual blessings. I have no objection to Chry-
sostom’s remark, that the word spiritual conveys an implied
contrast between the blessing of Moses and of Christ. The
law had its blessings ; ‘but in Christ only is perfection found,
because he gives us a perfect revelation of the kingdom of
God, which leads us directly to heaven. When the body
itself is presented to us, figures are no longer needed.

In heavenly. Whether we understand the meaning to be,
in heavenly Places, or in heavenly Benefits, is of little con-
sequence. All that was intended to be expressed is the
superiority of that grace which we receive through Christ.
The happiness which it bestows is not in this world, but in
heaven and everlasting life. In the Christian religion, in-
deed, as we are elsewhere taught, (1 Tim. iv. 8,) is contained
the “ promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to
come ;” but its aim is spiritual happiness, for the kingdom of
Christ is spiritual. A contrast is drawn between Christ and
all the Jewish emblems, by which the blessing under the
law was conveyed ; for where Christ is, all those things are
superfluous.

4. According as he hath chosen us. The foundation and
first cause, both of our calling and of all the benefits which
we receive from God, is here declared to be his eternal elec-
tion. If the reason is asked, why God has called us to enjoy

198 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. 1. &.

the gospel, why he daily bestows upon us so many blessings,
why he opens to us the gate of heaven,—the answer will be
constantly found in this principle, that he hath chosen us
before the foundation of the world. The very time when the
' election took place proves it to be free ; for what could we
have deserved, or what mgrit did we possess, before the world
was made? How childish is the attempt to meet this argu-
ment by the following sophism! ‘“ We were chosen because
we were worthy, and because God foresaw that we would be
worthy.” We were all lost in Adam; and therefore, had not
God, through his own election, rescued us from perishing,
there was nothing to be foreseen. The same argument is
used in the Epistle to the Romans, where, speaking of Jacob
and Esau, he says, “ For the children being not yet born,
neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose. of
God according to election might stand, not of works, but of
him that calleth.” (Rom.ix. 11.) But though they had not
yet acted, might a sophist of the Sorbonne reply, God foresaw
that they would act. This objection has no force when ap-
plied to the depraved natures of men, in whom nothing can
be seen but materials for destruction.

In Christ. This is the second proof that the election is
free ; for if we are chosen in Christ, it 1s not of ourselves. It
is not from a perception of anything that we deserve, but
because our heavenly Father has introduced us, through the
privilege of adoption, into the body of Christ. In short, the
name of Christ excludes all merit, and everything which men
have of their own; for when he says that we are chosen in
Christ, it follows that in ourselves we are unworthy.

That we should be holy. This is the immediate, but not
the chief design ; for there is no absurdity in supposing that
the same thing may gain two objects. The design of build-
ing is, that there should be a house. ‘This is the immediate
design, but the convenience of dwelling in it is the ultimate _
. design. It was necessary to mention this in passing; for
we shall immediately find that Paul mentions another de-
sign, the glory of God. But there is no contradiction here ;
for the glory of God is the highest end, to which our sancti-
fication is subordinate.

CHAP. I. 4. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 199

This leads us to conclude, that holiness, purity, and every
excellence that is found among men, are the fruit of election ;
so that once more Paul expressly puts aside every considera-
tion of merit. If God had foreseen in us anything worthy
of election, it would have been stated in language the very
opposite of what is here employed, and which plainly means
that all our holiness and purity of life flow from the election
of God. How comes it then that some men are religious,
and live in the fear of God, while others give themselves up
without reserve to all manner of wickedness? If Paul may
be believed, the only reason is, that the latter retain their
natural disposition, and the former have been chosen to
holiness. The cause, certainly, is not later than the effect.
Election, therefore, does not depend on the righteousness of
works, of which Paul here declares that it is the cause.

We learn also from these words, that election gives no
occasion to licentiousness, or to the blasphemy of wicked
men who say, “ Let us live in any manner we please ; for,
if we have been elected, we cannot perish.” Paul tells
them plainly, that they have no right to separate holiness of
life from the grace of election; for “ whom he did predes-
tinate, them he also called, and whom he called, them he
also justified.” (Rom. viii. 80.) The inference, too, which
the Catharists, Celestines, and Donatists drew from these
words, that we may attain perfection in this life, is without
foundation. This is the goal to which the whole course of
our life must be directed, and we shall not reach it till we
have finished our course. Where are the men who dread
and avoid the doctrine of predestination as an inextricable
labyrinth, who believe it to be useless and almost dangerous ?
No doctrine is more uscful, provided it be handled in the
proper and cautious manner, of which Paul gives us an ex-
ample, when he presents it as an illustration of the infinite
goodness of God, and employs it as an excitement to grati-
tude. This is the true fountain from which we must draw
our knowledge of the divine mercy. If men should evade
every other argument, election shuts their mouth, so that
they dare not and cannot claim anything for themselves.
But let us remember the purpose for which Paul reasons

200 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. I. 5.

about predestination, lest, by reasoning with any other view,
we fall into dangerous errors,

Before him in love. Holiness before God (catevarvov
avrov) is that of a pure conscience ; for God is not deceived,
as men are, by outward pretence, but looks to faith, or, which
means the same thing, the truth of the heart. If we view
the word love as applied to God, the meaning will be, that
the only reason why he chose us, was his love tomen. But
I prefer connecting it with the latter part of the verse, as
denoting that the perfection of believers consists in love ;
not that God requires love alone, but that it is an evidence
of the fear of God, and of obedience to the whole law.

5. Who hath ‘predestinated us. What follows is intended
still further to heighten the commendation of divine grace.
The reason why Paul inculcated so earnestly on the Ephe-
sians the doctrines of free adoption through Christ, and of
the eternal election which preceded it, has been already
considered. But as the mercy of God is nowhere acknow-
ledged in more elevated language, this passage will deserve
our careful attention. Three causes of our salvation are
-here mentioned, and a fourth is shortly afterwards added.
The efficient cause is the good pleasure of the will of God,
_ the material cause is, Jesus Christ, and the final cause 1s,
the praise of the glory of lis grace. Let us now see
what he says respecting each.

To the first belongs the whole of the following statement.
God hath predestinated us in himself, according to the good
pleasure of his will, wnto the adoption of sons, and hath made
us accepted by his grace. In the word predestinate we must
again attend to the order. We were not then in existence,
and therefore there was no merit of ours. The cause of our
salvation did not proceed from us, but from God alone. Yet
Paul, not satisfied with these statements, adds in himself.
The Greek phrase is, ets avtov, and has the same meaning
with év avr. By this he means that God did not seek a
cause out of himself, but predestinated us, because such was
his will.

But this is made still more clear by what follows, accord-
ing to the good pleasure of his will. The word will was

CHAP. I. 5. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 201

enough, for Paul very frequently contrasts it with all out-
ward causes by which men are apt toimagine that the mind
of God is influenced. But that no doubt may remain, he
employs the word good pleasure, which expressly sets aside
all merit. In adopting us, therefore, God does not inquire
what we are, and is not reconciled to us by any personal
worth. His single motive is the eternal good pleasure, by
which he predestinated us." Why, then, are the sophists not
ashamed to mingle with them other considerations, when
Paul so strongly forbids us to look at anything else than
the good pleasure of God ?

Lest anything should still be wanting, he adds, éyapitwcev
év yapitt. This intimates, that, in the freest manner, and
on no mercenary grounds, does God bestow upon us his love
and favour, just as, when we were not yet born, and when
he was prompted by nothing but his own will, he fixed upon
us his choice.*

The material cause both of eternal election, and of the
love which is now revealed, is Christ, the Beloved. This name

-is given, to remind us that by him the love of God is com-
municated to us. Thus he is the well-beloved, in order that
we may be reconciled by him. The highest and last end is
immediately added, the glorious praise of such abundant
grace. Every man, therefore, who hides this glory, is en-
deavouring to overturn the everlasting purpose of God.
Such is the doctrine of the sophists, which entirely overturns
the doctrine of Christ, lest the whole glory of our salvation
should be ascribed undividedly to God alone.

1 « This could not have been obtained by our own strength, had he not
by his eternal decree, adopted us into the right and privilege of children,
and that by Jesus Christ, to whom he hath so closely united us by faith
and love, that we have become his members, and are one with him, and
obtain (by communication with him) what was not due to our own merits.”
— Erasmus.

2 “ [] nous a rendu agréables.” ‘ He hath made us acceptable.”

* « The original word, éxaeirwsev, ‘he hath made us accepted,’ is not used
by any profane authors; however, the sense of it is plain. It is used in
the angel’s salutation to the Virgin Mary, ‘ Hail, thou that art highly fa-
voured;’ and that the word there is’ rightly rendered, is plain from the
reason which the angel himself gives, ‘ Thou hast found favour with God.’
(Luke i. 28, 30.) So that the plain meaning of the word, and the true
rendering of it in the place before us, is, not as we have translated it,
‘made us accepted,’ but ‘ highly favoured us.’”— Chandler.

V

202 COMMENTARIES ON THE

In whom we have redemption
‘ena his blood, the forgiveness of
sins, according to the riches of his
grace ;

8. Wherein he hath abounded
toward us in all wisdom and pru-
dence ;

9. Having made known unto us
the mystery “of his will, according to
his good pleasure, which he hath
purposed in himself :

10. That, in the dispensation of
the fulness of ti mes, he might gather
together in one all things i in Christ,
both which are in heaven, and which
are on earth, even in him: :

11. In whom also we have ob-
tained an inheritance, being predes-
tinated according to the purpose of
him who worketh all things after
the counsel of his own will;

12. That we should be to the
praise of his glory, who first trusted
in Christ.

7. In whom we have redemption.

CHAP. I. 7

7.- In quo habemus redemp-
tionem per sanguinem ejus, remis-
sionem peccatorum, secundum divi-
tias gratia ejus;

8. ” Qua exundavit in nos in omni
sapientia et prudentia ;

9. Patefacto nobis arcano volun-
tatis suze, secundum beneplacitum
suum, quod in seipso proposuerat.

10. In dispensationem plenitudi-
nis temporum; ut recolligeret om-
nia in Christo, tam que in ccelis
sunt, quam que super terram, in
ipso.

11. Per quem etiam in sortem
adsciti sumus, preedestinati secun-
dum propositum ejus, qui omnia
efficit secundum consilium volunta-
tis bee ;

. Ut simus in laudem glorie
ae nos qui anté speravimus in
Christo.

The apostle is still

illustrating the material cause,—the manner in which we are
reconciled to God through Christ. By his death he has
restored us to favour with the Father; and therefore we
ought always to direct our minds to the blood of Christ, as
the means by which we obtain divine grace. After men-
tioning that, through the blood of Christ, we obtain redemp-
tion, he immediately styles it the forgiveness of sins,—to
intimate that we are redeemed, because our sins are not
imputed to us. Hence it follows, that we obtain by free
grace that righteousness by which we are accepted of God,
and freed from the chains of the devil and of death. The
close connection which is here preserved, between our re-
demption itself and the manner in which it is obtained,
deserves our notice ; for, so long as we remain exposed to
the judgment of God, we are bound by miserable chains, and
therefore our exemption from guilt becomes an invaluable
freedom.

According to the riches of his grace. He now returns to
the efficient cause,—the largeness of the divine kindness,
which has given Christ to us as our Redeemer. Riches, and

——

CHAP. I. 9. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 203

the corresponding word overflow, in the following verse, are
intended to give us large views of divine grace. The apostle
feels himself unable to celebrate, in a proper manner, the
goodness of God, and desires that the contemplation of it
would occupy the minds of men till they are entirely lost
in admiration. How desirable is it that men were deeply
impressed with “the riches of that grace” which is here com-
mended! No place would any longer be found for pretended
satisfactions, or for those trifles by which the world vainly
imagines that it can redeem itself; asif the blood of Christ,
when unsupported by additional aid, had lost all its efficacy.”

8. In all wisdom. He now comes to the formal cause,
the preaching of the gospel, by which the goodness of God
overflows wpon us.” It is through faith that we receive
Christ, by whom we come to God, and by whom we enjoy
the privilege of adoption. Paul gives to the gospel the mag-
nificent appellations of wesdom and prudence, for the pur-
pose of leading the Ephesians to despise all contrary doc-
trines. The false apostles insinuated themselves, under the
pretence of imparting views more elevated than the elemen-
tary instructions which Paul conveyed. And the devil, in
order to undermine our faith, labours, as far as he can, to
disparage the gospel. Paul, on the other hand, builds up
the authority of the gospel, that believers may rest upon it
with unshaken confidence. <All wisdom means—full or per-
fect wisdom.

9. Having made known to us the mystery of his will.
Some were alarmed at the novelty of his doctrine. With a
view to such persons, he very properly denominates it a
mystery of the divine will, and yet a mystery which God has
now been pleased to reveal. As he formerly ascribed their
election, so he now ascribes their calling, to the good plea-

1 « Comme si le sang de Christ sechoit et perdoit sa vigueur.” “ As
if the blood of Christ were dried up, and lost its force.”

* as txegiooevosev— is for 4, (by a common Grecism, in which the rela-
tive is attracted by the antecedent.) if, at least, we take éa:gicccucey, with
many modern expositors, in a neuter sense, ‘in which he hath renewed his
abundant goodness to us ;’ but if, with the ancient and some modern ones,
in an active sense, ‘to make to abound,’ (as in 2 Cor. iv. 15; ix. 8,) the as

will be for 4», meaning, ¢ which he has bountifully bestowed upon us.’ ”—
Bloomfield.

204 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. 1. 10.

sure of God. The Ephesians are thus led to consider that
Christ has been made known, and the gospel preached to
them, not because they deserved any such thing, but because
it pleased God.

Which he hath purposed in himself. All is wisely and
properly arranged. What can be more just than that his
purposes, with which men are unacquainted, should be known
to God alone, so long as he is pleased to conceal them,—or,
again, that it should be in his own will and power to fix the
time when they shall be communicated to men? The de-
cree to adopt the Gentiles is declared to have been till now
hidden in the mind of God, but so hidden, that God reserved
it in his own power until the time of the revelation. Does
any one now complain of it as a new and unprecedented oc-
currence, that those who were formerly “ without God in
the world,” (Eph. ii. 12,) should be received into the church ?
Will he have theh ardihood to deny that the knowledge of
God is greater than that of men ?

10. That in the dispensation of the fulness of tumes. That
no man may inquire, why one time rather than another was

-selected, the apostle anticipates such curiosity, by calling
the appointed period the fulness of times, the fit and proper
season, as he also did in a former epistle. (Gal. iv. 4.) Let
human presumption restrain itself, and, in judging of the
succession of events, let it bow to the providence of God.
The same lesson is taught by the word dispensation, for
by the judgment of God the lawful administration of all
events is regulated.

That he might gather together in one. In the old transla-
tion it is rendered (instaurare) restore; to which Erasmus
has added (summatim) comprehensively. I have chosen to
abide closely by the meaning of the Greek word, avaxefa-
Natwcacbat,! because it is more agreeable to the context.

l Avaxe@uaraiwcucbas. “have compared this word with cvyxe@araimicbas
in the writings of Xenophon, so.as to bring out this sense, that ‘ to Christ,
as the Head, all things are subject.’ I am confirmed in this opinion by
Chrysostom, who explains it in this manner: viay xeparny draco extbnns +6
xare céexa Xeiorsv, ‘he hath given to all one head, Christ according to the
flesh.’ Polybius also uses cvyxePaaaiovebo: instead of avaxsParcsovcbas.
So that it is evident that those two words are employed indiscriminately.”
—Raphelius.

CHAP. I. 10. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 205

The meaning appears to me to be, that out of Christ all
things were disordered, and that through him they have been
restored to order. And truly, out of Christ, what can we
perceive in the world but mere ruins? We are alienated
from God by sin, and how can we but present a broken and
shattered aspect? The proper condition of creatures is to
keep close to God. Such a gathering together (avaxepadai-
wots) as might bring us back to regular order, the apostle
tells us, has been made in Christ. Formed into one body,
we are united to God, and closely connected with each other.
Without Christ, on the other hand, the whole world is a
shapeless chaos and frightful confusion. We are brought
into actual unity by Christ alone.

But why are heavenly beings included in the number?
The angels were never separated from God, and cannot be
said to have been scattered. Some explain it in this manner.
Angels are said to be gathered together, because men have
become members of the same society, are admitted equally
with them to fellowship with God, and enjoy happiness in
common with them by means of this blessed unity. The
mode of expression 1s supposed to resemble one frequently
used, when we speak of a whole building as repaired, many
parts of which were ruinous or decayed, though some parts
remained entire.

This is no doubt true ; but what hinders us from saying
that the angels also have been gathered together ? Not that
they were ever scattered, but their attachment to the service
of God is now perfect, and their state is eternal. What com-
parison is there between a creature and the Creator, without
the interposition of a Mediator? So far as they are crea-
tures, had it not been for the benefit which they derived from
Christ, they would have been liable to change and to sin,
and consequently their happiness would not have been eter-
nal. Who then will deny that both angels and men have
been brought back to a fixed order by the grace of Christ ?
Men had been lost, and angels were not beyond the reach of
danger. By gathering both into his own body, Christ hath
united them to God the Father, and established actual har-
mony between heaven and earth.

206 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP.TI. 12.

11. Through whom also we have obtained an inheritance.
Hitherto he has spoken generally of all the elect ; he now
begins to take notice of separate classes. When he says, WE
have obtained, he speaks of himself and of the Jews, or, per-
haps more correctly, of all who were the first fruits of Chris-
tianity; and afterwards he comes to the Ephesians. It tended
not a little to confirm the faith of the Ephesian converts,
that he associated them with himself and the other believers,
who might be said to be the first-born in the church. As if
he had said, “ The condition of all godly persons is the same
with yours ; for we who were first called by God owe our
acceptance to his eternal election.” Thus, he shews, that, from
first to last, all have obtained salvation by free grace, because
they have been freely adopted according to eternal election.

Who worketh all things. The circumlocution employed in
describing the Supreme Being deserves attention. He speaks
of Him as the sole agent, and as doing everything according
to His own will, so as to leave nothing to be done by man.
In no respect, therefore, are men admitted to share in this
praise, as if they brought anything of their own. God looks
at nothing out of himself to move him to elect them, for the
counsel of his own will is the only and actual cause of their
election. This may enable us to refute the error, or rather
the madness, of those who, whenever they are unable to dis-
cover the reason of God’s works, exclaim loudly against his
design.

12. That we should be to the praise of his glory. Here
again he mentions the final cause of salvation ; for we must
eventually become illustrations of the glory of God, if we are
nothing but vessels of his mercy. The word glory, by way
of eminence, (car e£oynv,) denotes, in a peculiar manner,
that which shines in the goodness of God ; for there is no-
thing that is more peculiarly his own, or in which he desires
more to be glorified, than goodness.

4

13. In whom ye also trusted, after 13. In quo vos etiam, audito
that ye heard the word of truth, the sermone veritatis, Evangelio salutis
gospel of your salvation: in whom vestree; in quo etiam, postquam
also, after that ye believed, ye were credidistis, obsignati estis Spiritu
sealed with that Holy Spirit of pro- promissionis sancto,
mise,

CHAP. I. 13. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 207

14. Which is the earnest of our 14. Qui est arrhabo hereditatis
inheritance, until the redemption of nostr, in redemptionem acquisite
the purchased possession, unto the possessionis, in laudem gloriz ejus.
praise of his glory.

13. In whom ye also. He associates the Ephesians with
himself, and with the rest of those who were the first fruits ;
for he says that they, in like manner, trusted in Christ. His
object is, to shew that both had the same faith; and there-
fore we must supply the word trusted from the twelfth verse.
He afterwards states that they were brought to that hope by
the preaching of the gospel.

Two epithets are here applied to the gospel,—the word of
truth, and the gospel of your salvation. Both deserve our
careful attention. Nothing is more earnestly attempted by
Satan than to lead us either to doubt or to despise the gospel.
Paul therefore furnishes us with two shields, by which we
may repel both temptations. In opposition to every doubt,
let us learn to bring forward this testimony, that the gospel
is not only certain truth, which cannot deceive, but is, by
way of eminence, (cat é£oynv,) the word of truth, as if, strictly
speaking, there were no truth but itself. If the temptation
be to contempt or dislike of the gospel, let us remember that
its power and efficacy have been manifested in bringing to
us salvation. The apostle had formerly declared that “it is
the power of God to salvation to every one that believeth,”
(Rom. i. 16 ;) but here he expresses more, for he reminds the
Ephesians that, having been made partakers of salvation,
they had learned this by their own experience. Unhappy
they who weary themselves, as the world generally does, in
wandering through many winding paths, neglecting the
gospel, and pleasing themselves with wild romances,—“ ever
learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the
truth,” (2 Tim. iii. 7,) or to find life! But happy they who
have embraced the gospel, and whose attachment to it is
steadfast ; for this, beyond all doubt, is truth and life.

In whom also, after that ye believed. Having maintained
that the gospel is certain, he now comes to the proof. And
what higher surety can be found than the Holy Spirit?
“Having denominated the gospel the word of truth, I will
not prove it by the authority of men; for you have the tes-

205 COMMENTARIES ON TUE cHAP. I. 13.

timony of the Spirit of God himself, who seals the truth of
it in your hearts.” This elegant comparison is taken from
Seals, which among men have the effect of removing doubt.
Seals give validity both to charters and to testaments ;
anciently, they were the principal means by which the
writer of a letter could be known; and, in short, a seal dis-
tinguishes what is true and certain, from what is false and
spurious. This office the apostle ascribes to the Holy Spirit,
not only here, but in another part of this Epistle, (Eph. iv.
30,) and in the Second Epistle to the Corinthians, (1. 22.)
Our minds never become so firmly established in the truth
of God as to resist all the temptations of Satan, until we
have been confirmed in it by-the Holy Spirit. The true
conviction which believers have of the word of God, of their
own salvation, and of religion in general, does not spring
from the judgment of the flesh, or from human and philoso-
phical arguments, but from the sealing of the Spirit, who
imparts to their consciences such certainty as to remove all
doubt. The foundation of faith would be frail and unsteady,
if it rested on human wisdom ; and therefore, as preaching
is the instrument of faith, so the Holy Spirit makes preach-
ing efficacious.

But is it not the faith itself which is here said to be sealed
by the Holy Spirit? If so, faith goes before the sealing. I
answer, there are two operations of the Spirit in faith, cor-
responding to the two parts of which faith consists, as it
enlightens, and as it establishes the mind. The commence-
ment of faith is knowledge: the completion of it is a firm
and steady conviction, which admits of no opposing doubt.
Both, I have said, are the work of the Spirit. No wonder,
then, if Paul should declare that the Ephesians, who re-
ceived by faith the truth of the gospel, were confirmed in
that faith by the seal of the Holy Spirit.

With that Holy Spirit of promise. This title is derived
from the effect produced; for to him we owe it that the
promise of salvation is not made to us in vain. As God
promises in his word, “that he will be to us a Father,”
(2 Cor. vi. 18,) so he gives to us the evidence of having
adopted us by the Holy Spirit.

CHAP. I. 14. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 209

14, Which is the earnest’ of our inheritance. This phrase
is twice used by Paul in another Epistle. (2 Cor. 1. 22; v.
5.) The metaphor is taken from bargains, in which, when
a pledge has been given and accepted, the whole is con-
firmed, and no room is left for a change of mind. Thus,
when we have received the Spirit of God, his promises are
confirmed to us, and no dread is felt that they will be revoked.
In themselves, indeed, the promises of God are not weak ;
but, until we are supported by the testimony of the Spirit,
we never rest upon them with unshaken confidence. The
Spirit, then, is the earnest of owr inheritance of eternal life,
until the redemption, that is, until the day of complete
redemption is arrived. So long as we are in this world, our
warfare is sustained by hope, and therefore this earnest is
necessary ; but when the possession itself shall have been
obtained, the necessity and use of the earnest will then cease.

The significance of a pledge lasts no longer than till both
parties have fulfilled the bargain ; and, accordingly, he after-
wards adds, ye are sealed to the day of redemption, (Eph. iv.
30,) which means the day of judgment. Though we are now
redeemed by the blood of Christ, the fruit of that redemption
does not yet appear; for “every creature groaneth, desiring
to be delivered from the bondage of corruption. And not
only they, but ourselves also, who have the first-fruits of
the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting
for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body ;’ for
we have not yet obtained it, but by hope. (Rom. viii. 21-23.)
But we shall obtain it in reality, when Christ shall appear to
judgment. Such is the meaning of the word redemption in
the passage now quoted from the Epistle to the Romans, and
in a saying of our Lord, “ Look up, and lift up your heads,
for your redemption draweth nigh.” (Luke xxi. 28.)

* «The original word j2#», seems properly to denote the first part of
the price that is paid in. any contract, as an earnest and security of the
remainder, and which, therefore, is not taken back, but kept till the resi-
due is paid to complete the whole sum. And thus it differs from a pledge,
which is somewhat given for the security of a contract, but redeemed and
restored, when the contract is completed; but it must be owned that the
word is used to denote both an earnest and a pledge, and in either sense it
is very properly applied to the Holy Spirit of promise.”-—Chandler.

0

210 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. I. 14,

Tlepurrotnots, which we translate the possession obtained,
is not the kingdom of heaven, or a blessed immortality, but
the Church itself. This is added for their consolation, that
they might not think it hard to cherish their hope till the
day of Christ’s coming, or be displeased that they have not
yet obtained the promised inheritance ; for such is the com-
mon lot of the whole Church.

To the praise of his glory. The word praise, as in the
twelfth verse, signifies “making known.”' The glory of God
may sometimes be concealed, or imperfectly exhibited. But
in the Ephesians God had given proofs of his goodness, that
his glory might be celebrated and openly proclaimed. Those
persons, therefore, who slighted the calling of the Ephesians,
might be charged with envying and slighting the glory of
God.

The frequent mention of the glory of God ought not to be
regarded as superfluous, for what is infinite cannot be too
strongly expressed. This is particularly true in commenda-
tions of the Divine mercy, for which every godly person will
always feel himself unable to find adequate language. He
will be more ready to utter, than other men will be to hear,
the expression of praise; for the eloquence both of men and
angels, after being strained to the utmost, falls immeasurably
below the vastness of this subject. We may likewise observe,
that there is not a more effectual method of shutting the
mouths of wicked men, than by shewing that our views tend
to illustrate, and theirs to obscure, the glory of God.

15. Wherefore I also, after I heard
of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and
love unto all the saints,

16. Cease not to give thanks for
you, making mention of you in my
prayers ;

17. That the God of our Lord
Jesus Christ, the Father of glory,
may give unto you the spirit of wis-
dom and revelation in the knowledge
of him :

15. Quapropter ego etiam, audita
fide que apud vos est in Domino
lesu, et charitate erga omnes sanc-
tos,

16. Non cesso gratias agere pro
vobis, Memoriam vestri faciens in
orationibus meis ;

17. Ut Deus Domini nostri Iesu
Christi, Pater glorie, det vobis Spi-
ritum sapientie et revelationis, in
agnitione ipsius,

1 « Touange yci se prend comme ci devant pour la publication et mani-
festation.” “Here, as formerly, ‘praise’ denotes proclamation and mani-

festation.”

*
:

CHAP. I. 16.

_ 18. The eyes of your understand-
ing being enlightened; that ye may
know what is the hope of his calling,
and what the riches of the glory of
his inheritance in the saints,

19. And what is the exceeding
greatness of his power to us-ward

EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS.

211

18. Illuminatos oculos mentis ves-
tree, ut sciatis que sit spes voca-
tionis ipsius, et que divitiz gloriz
hereditatis ejus in sanctis,

19. Et que superexcellens mag-
nitudo potenti ejus erga nos, qui

credidimus secundum efficaciam po-

who believe, according to the work-
tentize roboris ejus.

ing of his mighty power.

15. Wherefore I also. This thanksgiving was not simply
an expression of his ardent love to the Ephesians. He con-
gratulated them before God, that the opinion which he had
formed respecting them was highly favourable. Observe
here, that under faith and love Paul includes generally the
whole excellence of Christian character. He uses the ex-
pression, faith in the Lord Jesus,’ because Christ is the aim
and object of faith. Love ought to embrace all men, but
here the saints are particularly mentioned ; because love,
when properly regulated, begins with them, and is afterwards
extended to all others. Ifour love must have a view to God,
the nearer any man approaches to God, the stronger un-
questionably must be his claims to our love.

16. Making mention of you. To thanksgiving, as his cus-
tom is, he adds prayer, in order to excite them to additional
progress. It was necessary that the Ephesians should un-
derstand that they had entered upon the proper course. But
it was equally necessary that they should not turn aside to
any new scheme of doctrine, or become indifferent about
proceeding farther; for nothing is more dangerous than to
be satisfied with that measure of spiritual benefits which
has been already obtained. Whatever, then, may be the
height of our attainments, let them be always accompanied
by the desire of something higher.

1 «¢ Waving heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus.’ It is wrong to
argue from this expression, with Olshausen and De Wette, that the apostle
had no personal knowledge of the persons whom he addressed. This was
an early surmise, for it is referred to by Theodoret. Some, says he, have
supposed that the apostle wrote to the Ephesians, #s undiqw bewodpevos
avrous, (as having never seen them.) But some years had elapsed since
the apostle had_ visited Ephesus, and seen the Ephesian Church; and
might he not refer to reports of their Christian steadfastness which had
reached him? Nay, his use of the word may signify that such intelligence
had been repeatedly brought to him.”— Eadie.

STZ COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. I. 17.

17. That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ. But what
does Paul wish for the Ephesians? The spirit of wisdom,
and the eyes of their understanding being enlightened. And
did they not possess these? Yes; but at the same time they
needed increase, that, being endowed with a larger measure
of the Spirit, and being more and more enlightened, they
might more clearly and fully hold their present views. The
knowledge of the godly is never so pure, but that some dim-
ness or obscurity hangs over their spiritual vision. But let
us examine the words in detail.

Lhe God of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Son of God be-
came man in such a manner, that God was his God as well
as ours. “I ascend,” says he, “to my Father, and your
Father; and to my God, and your God.” (John xx. 17.)
And the reason why he is our God, is, that he is the God of
Christ, whose members we are. Let us remember, however,
that this relates to his human nature; so that his subjection
takes nothing away from his eternal godhead.

The Father of glory. This title springs from the former ;
for God’s glory, as a Father, consists in subjecting his Son to
our condition, that, through him, he might be our God. The
Father of glory is a well-known Hebrew idiom for The glo-
rious Father. There is a mode of pointing and reading this
passage, which I do not disapprove, and which connects the
two clauses in this manner: That God, the glorious Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, may give to you.

The Spirit of wisdom and revelation is here put, by a
figure of speech, (metonymy,) for the grace which the
Lord bestows upon us by his own Spirit. But let it be
observed, that the gifts of the Spirit are not the gifts of na-
ture. Till the Lord opens them, the eyes of our heart are
blind. Till the Spirit has become our instructor, all that
we know is folly and ignorance. ‘Till the Spirit of God
has made it known to us by a secret revelation, the know-
ledge of our Divine calling exceeds the capacity of our own
minds.

In the knowledge of him. This might also be read, Jn the
knowledge of himself. Both renderings agree well with the
context, for he that knows the Son knows also the Father ;

Se ner rere

URS

CHAP. 1. 19. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 2ES

but I prefer the former as more natively suggested by the
Greek pronoun, év émuyvaces avtod.

18. The eyes of your understanding being enlightened.
The eyes of your heart is the rendering of the Vulgate,
which is supported by some Greek manuscripts. The differ-
ence is immaterial, for the Hebrews frequently employ it
to denote the rational powers of the soul, though more
strictly, being the seat of the affections, it means the will or
desire ; but I have preferred the ordinary translation.

And what the riches. A comparison, suggested by its ex-
cellence, reminds us how unfit we are to receive this elevated
knowledge ; for the power of God is no small matter. This
great power, he tells us, had been exerted, and in a very
extraordinary manner, towards the Ephesians, who were
thus laid under constant obligations to follow his calling.
By thus extolling the grace of God toward themselves, he
intended to check every tendency to despise or dislike the
duties of the Christian life. But the splendid encomiums
which he pronounces on faith convey to us also this instruc-
tion, that it is so admirable a work and gift of God, that no
language can do justice to its excellence. Paul is not in the
habit of throwing out hyperboles without discrimination ;
but when he comes to treat of a matter which lies so far be-
yond this world as faith does, he raises our minds to the
admiration of heavenly power.

19. According to the working. Some consider this clause
as referring solely to the word believe, which comes imme-
diately before it ; but I rather view it as an additional state-
ment, tending to heighten the greatness of the power, as a
demonstration, or, if you prefer it, an instance and evidence
of the efficacy of the power. The repetition of the word
power, (Svvdpuews,) has the appearance of being superfluous ;
but in the former case it is restricted to one class,—in the
next, it has a general application. Paul, we find, never
thinks that he can say enough in his descriptions of the
Christian calling. And certainly the power of God is won-
derfully displayed, when we are brought from death to life,
and when, from being the children of hell, we become the
children of God and heirs of eternal life.

214 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. I. 20.

Foolish men imagine that this language is absurdly hyper-
bolical ; but godly persons, who are engaged in daily struggles
with inward corruption, have no difficulty in perceiving that
not a word is here used beyond what is perfectly just. As the
importance of the subject cannot be too strongly expressed,
so our unbelief and ingratitude led Paul to employ this
glowing language. We never form adequate conceptions of
the treasure revealed to us in the gospel; or, if we do, we
cannot persuade ourselves that it is possible for us to do so,
because we perceive nothing in us that corresponds to it,
but everything the reverse. Paul’s object, therefore, was
not only to impress the Ephesians with a deep sense of the
value of Divine grace, but also to give them exalted views
of the glory of Christ’s kingdom. That they might not be
cast down by a view of their own unworthiness, he exhorts
them to consider the power of God; as if he had said, that
their regeneration was no ordinary work of God, but was an
astonishing exhibition of his power.

According to the efficacy of the power of his strength.
There are three words here, on which we may make a pass-
ing remark. We may view strength as the root,—power as
the tree,—and efficacy as the fruit, or the stretching out of
the Divine arm which terminates in action.

20. Which he wrought in Christ,
when he raised him from the dead,
and set him at his own right hand
in the heavenly places,

21. Far above all principality,
and power, and might, and domi-
nion, and every name that is named,
not only in this world, but also in
that which is to come;

22. And hath put all things under
his feet, and gave him to be the head
over all things to the church,

23. Which is his body, the ful-
ness of him that filleth all in all.

20. Which he wrought in Christ.

20. Quam exeruit in Christo,
dum illum excitavit a mortuis, et
sedere fecit in dextera sua, in cceles-
tibus ;

21. Super omnem principatum,
et potestatem, et virtutem, et domi-
nationem, et omne nomen quod no-
minatur, non tanttim in seculo hoe,
sed etiam in futuro;

22. Et omnia subjecit pedibus
ejus, et ipsum posuit caput super
omnia Ecclesiz,

23. Quee est corpus ejus et com-
plementum ejus, qui omnia in om-
nibus adimplet.

The Greek verb is évép-

ynoev, from which é évépyeva is derived. It might run thus,
According to the efficacy which he effected. But the transla-
tion which I have given conveys the same meaning, and is
less harsh.

of)

;
;
2

CHAP. I. 20. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 215

With the greatest propriety does he enjoin us to contem-
plate this power in Christ ; for in us it is hitherto concealed. '
“My strength,” says he, “is made perfect in weakness.”
(2 Cor. xii. 9.) In what do we excel the children of the
world but in this, that our condition appears to be somewhat
worse than theirs? Though sin does not reign, it continues
to dwell in us, and death is still strong. Our blessedness,
which lies in hope, is not perceived by the world. The
power of the Spirit is a thing unknown to flesh and blood.
A thousand distresses, to which we are daily liable, render
us more despised than other men.

Christ alone, therefore, is the mirror in which we can
contemplate that which the weakness of the cross hinders
from being clearly seen in ourselves. When our minds rise to
a confident anticipation of righteousness, salvation, and glory,
let us learn to turn them to Christ. We still lie under the
power of death ; but he, raised from the dead by heavenly
power, has the dominion of life. We labour under the bon-
dage of sin, and, surrounded by endless vexations, are engaged
in a hard warfare, (1 Tim. i. 18;) but he, sitting at the right
hand of the Father, exercises the highest government in
heaven and earth, and triumphs gloriously over the enemies
whom he has subdued and vanquished. We lie here mean
and despised ; but to him has been “ given a name,” (Phil. ii.
9,) which angels and men regard with reverence, and devils
and wicked men with dread. We are pressed down here by
the scantiness of all our comforts : but he has been appointed
by the Father to be the sole dispenser of all blessings. For
these reasons, we shall find our advantage in directing our
views to Christ, that in him, as in a mirror, we may see the
glorious treasures of Divine grace, and the unmeasurable
greatness of that power, which has not yet been manifested
in ourselves.

And set him at his own right hand. This passage shews
plainly, if any one does, what is meant by the right hand of
God. It does not mean any particular place, but the power
which the Father has bestowed on Christ, that he may ad-
minister in his name the government of heaven and earth.
It is idle, therefore, to inquire why Stephen saw him stand-

216 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP.1, 21.

ing, (Acts vii. 55,) while Paul describes him as sztting at
God’s right hand. The expression does not refer to any
bodily posture, but denotes the highest royal power with
which Christ has been invested. This is intimated by what
immediately follows, far above all principality and power :
for the whole of this description is added for the purpose of
explaining what is meant by the right hand.

God the Father is said to have raised Christ to “ his right
hand,” because he has made him to share in his government,
because by him he exerts all his power; the metaphor being
borrowed from earthly princes, who confer the honour of sit-
ting along with themselves on those whom they have clothed
with the highest authority. As the right hand of God fills
heaven and earth, it follows that the kingdom and power of
Christ are equally extensive. It is in vain, therefore, to
attempt to prove that, because Christ sitteth at the right
hand of God, he dwells in heaven alone. His human nature,
it is true, resides in heaven, and not in earth ; but that argu-
ment is foreign to the purpose. The expression which fol-
lows, in heavenly places, does not at all imply that the right
hand of God is confined to heaven, but directs us to con-
template the heavenly glory amidst which our Lord Jesus
dwells, the blessed immortality which he enjoys, and the
dominion over angels to which he has been exalted.

21. Far above ali principality, and power, and might, and
dominion. All these names, there can be no doubt, are ap-
plied to angels, who are so denominated, because, by means
of them, God exercises his power, and might, and dominion.
He permits them to share, as far as is competent to crea-
tures, what belongs to himself, and even gives ,to them his
own name ; for we find that they are called moby, (elohim,)
gods. From the diversity of names we conclude that there
are various orders of angels ; but to attempt to settle these
with exactness, to fix their number, or determine their
ranks, would not merely discover foolish curiosity, but would
be rash, wicked, and dangerous.

But why did he not simply call them Angels? I answer,
it was to convey exalted views of the glory of Christ that
Paul employed those lofty titles. As if he had said, “ There

CHAP. I. 22. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. ZEF

is nothing so elevated or excellent, by whatever name it
may be named, that is not subject to the majesty of Christ.”
There was an ancient superstition, prevalent both among
Jews and Gentiles, falsely attributing to angels many things,
in order to draw away their minds from God himself, and
from the true Mediator. Paul constantly labours to prevent
this imaginary lustre of angels from dazzling the eyes of men,
or obscuring the brightness of Christ ; and yet his utmost
exertions could not prevent “the wiles of the devil” (Eph.
vi. 11) from succeeding in this matter. Thus we see how
the world, through a superstitious dread of angels, departed
from Christ. It was indeed the unavoidable consequence of
the false opinions entertained respecting angels, that the
pure knowledge of Christ disappeared.

Above every name that is named. Name is here taken for
largeness, or excellence ; and to be named means to enjoy cele-
brity and praise. The age that is to come is expressly men-
tioned, to point out that the exalted rank of Christ is not
temporal, but eternal; and that it is not limited to this world,
but shines illustriously in the kingdom of God. For this
reason, too, Isaiah calls him, (Isa. ix. 6,) The Father of the
future age. In short, the glories of men and angels are
made to hold an inferior place, that the glory of Christ, un-
equalled and unapproached, may shine above them all.

22. And gave him to be the head. He was made the head
of the Church, on the condition that he should have the ad-
ministration of all things. ‘The apostle shews that it was
not a mere honorary title, but was accompanied by the entire
command and government of the universe. The metaphor
of a head denotes the highest authority. I am unwilling to
dispute about a name, but we are driven to it by the base
conduct of those who flatter the Romish idol. Since Christ
alone is called “the head,” all others, whether angels or men,
must rank as members ; so that he who holds the highest
place among his fellows is still one of the members of the
same body. And yet they are not ashamed to make an open
avowal that the Church will be axéarov, without a head, if
it has not another head on earth besides Christ. So small
is the respect which they pay to Christ, that, if he obtain

218 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. I. 23.
undivided the honour which his Father has bestowed upon
him, the Church is supposed to be disfigured. This is the
basest sacrilege. But let us listen to the Apostle, who de-
clares that the Church is His body, and, consequently, that
those who refuse to submit to Him are unworthy of its com-
munion ; for on Him alone the unity of the Church depends.

23. The fulness of him that filleth all in all. This is the
highest honour of the Church, that, until He is united to us,
the Son of God reckons himself in some measure imperfect.
What consolation is it for us to learn, that, not until we are
along with him, does he possess all his parts, or wish to be
regarded as complete! Hence, in the First Epistle to the
Corinthians, when the apostle discusses largely the metaphor
of a human body, he includes under the single name of
Christ the whole Church.

That filleth all in all. This is added to guard against the
supposition that any real defect would exist in Christ, if he
were separated from us. His wish to be filled, and, in some
respects, made perfect in us, arises from no want or neces-
sity ; for all that is good in ourselves, or in any of the crea-
tures, is the gift of his hand ; and his goodness appears the
more remarkably in raising us out of nothing, that he, in like
manner, may dwell and live in us. There is no impropriety
in limiting the word all to its application to this passage ;
for, though all things are regulated by the will and power of
Christ, yet the subject of which Paul particularly speaks is the
spiritual government of the Church. There is nothing, in-
deed, to hinder us from viewing it as referring to the
universal government of the world; but to limit it to the
case in hand is the more probable interpretation.

CHAPTER II.

1. And you hath he quickened,
who were dead in trespasses and
sins;

2. Wherein in time past ye
walked according to the course of
this world, according to the prince
of the power of the air, the spirit
that now worketh in the children of
disobedience :

1. Et vos, quum essetis mortui
delictis et peccatis vestris ;

2. In quibus aliquando ambulas-
tis secundum seeculum mundi hujus,
secundum prineipem potestatis aéris,
spiritus scilicet, qui nune operatur
in filiis inobedientiz ;

CHAP. II. 1. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 219

3. Among whom also we all had 3. Inter quos nos quoque omnes
our conversation in times past inthe aliquando conversati sumus in con-
lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the de- cupiscentiis carnis nostree, facientes
sires of the flesh and of the mind; que carni libebant, et menti; et
and were by nature the children of eramus natura filli ire, sicut et
wrath, even as others. ceeteri.

1. And you who were dead. This is an érre£epyacia of the
former statements, that is, an exposition accompanied by an
illustration.’ To bring home more effectually to the Ephe-
sians the general doctrine of Divine grace, he reminds them
of their former condition. This application consists of two
parts. ‘“ Ye were formerly lost ; but now God, by his grace,
has rescued you from destruction.” And here we must ob-
serve, that, in labouring to give an impressive view of both
of these parts, the apostle makes a break in the style by
(UrepSarov) a transposition. There is some perplexity in
the language ; but, if we attend carefully to what the
apostle says about those two parts, the meaning is clear.
As to the first, he says that they were dead ; and states, at
the same time, the cause of the death—trespasses and sins.”
He does not mean simply that they were in danger of death ;
but he declares that it was a real and present death under
which they laboured. As spiritual death is nothing else
than the alienation of the soul from God, we are all born as
dead men, and we live as dead men, until we are made
partakers of the life of Christ,—agreeably to the words of
our Lord, “ The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead
shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and they that hear
shall live.” (John v. 25.)

The Papists, who are eager to seize every opportunity of
undervaluing the grace of God, say, that while we are out of
Christ, we are half dead. But we are not at liberty to set
aside the declarations of our Lord and of the Apostle Paul,

1 “Tl expose et esclarcit ce qu’il avoit dit ci-dessus.” ‘ He explains and
illustrates what he had formerly said.”

2 Classical writers employ the same metaphor, to denote not. spiritual
death, with which they were unacquainted, but the absence of moral prin-
ciple, or utter ignorance of right and wrong. Thus Epictetus says, exe és
Mev 6 wasdeurns, vexgol d’ bucis ore xogracbars anscov, xabnob: xAniovres weel THs
avgioy, xobev Peynes. 'The instructor is dead, and you are dead. When
you are satiated to-day, you sit down and weep about to-morrow, what you
shall have to eat.”—Ed.

220 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. II. 2.

that, while we remain in Adam, we are entirely devoid of
life ; and that regeneration is a new life of the soul, by
which it rises from the dead. Some kind of life, I acknow-
ledge, does remain in us, while we are still at a distance
from Christ ; for unbelief does not altogether destroy the
outward senses, or the will, or the other faculties of the
soul. But what has this to do with the kingdom of God ?
What has it to do with a happy life, so long as every senti-
ment of the mind, and every act of the will, is death? Let
this, then, be held as a fixed principle, that the union of our
soul with God is the true and only life; and that out of
Christ we are altogether dead, because sin, the cause of
death, reigns in us.

2. In which for some time ye walked. From the effects
or fruits, he draws a proof that sin formerly reigned in them ;
for, until sin displays itself in outward acts, men are not
sufficiently aware of its power. When he adds, according
to the course of this world,’ he intimates that the death which
he had mentioned rages in the nature of man, and is a uni-
versal disease. He does not mean that course of the world
which God has ordained, nor the elements, such as the
heaven, and earth, and air,—but the depravity with which
we are all infected ; so that sin is not peculiar to a few, but
pervades the whole world.

». According to the prince of the power of the air. He now
proceeds farther, and explains the cause of our corruption to
be the dominion which the devil exercises over us. A more
severe condemnation of mankind could not have been pro-
nounced. What does he leave to us, when he declares us to
be the slaves of Satan, and subject to his will, so long as we
live out of the kingdom of Christ? Our condition, therefore,
though many treat it with ridicule, or, at least, with little
disapprobation, may well excite our horror, Where is now

1 «The Greek word cia», and likewise the Latin word AXvum, both sig-
nify the ‘lip of man,’ and from thence, by an easy figure, ‘the manner
and custom’ of a person’s living ; and therefore it denotes here the
corrupt principles and morals, and particularly the idolatrous practices of
the Heathen world, with which the Ephesians were as truly chargeable as
the rest of mankind, before their conversion to the faith of Christ.”—
Chandler.

—ss

F

CHAP. II. 2. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 221

the free-will, the guidance of reason, the moral virtue, about
which Papists babble so much? What will they find that is
pure or holy under the tyranny of the devil? On this sub-
ject, indeed, they are extremely cautious, and denounce this
doctrine of Paul as a grievous heresy. I maintain, on the
contrary, that there is no obscurity in the apostle’s language ;
and that all men who live according to the world, that is,
according to the inclinations of their flesh, are here declared
to fight under the reign of Satan.

In accordance with the practice of the inspired writers,
the Devil is mentioned in the singular number. As the
children of God have one head, so have the wicked ; for
each of the classes forms a distinct body. By assigning to
him the dominion over all wicked beings, ungodliness is re-
presented as an unbroken mass. As to his attributing to
the devil power over the air, that will be considered when
we come to the sixth chapter. At present, we shall merely
advert to the strange absurdity of the Manicheans, in endea-
vouring to prove from this passage the existence of two prin-
ciples, as if Satan could do anything without the Divine
permission. Paul does not allow him the highest authority,
which belongs to the will of God alone, but merely.a tyranny
which God permits him to exercise. What is Satan but
God’s executioner to punish man’s ingratitude? This is
implied in Paul’s language, when he represents the success
of Satan as confined to unbelievers; for the children of God
are thus exempted from his power. If this be true, it fol-
lows that Satan does nothing but under the control of a
superior: and that he is not (avtoxpatwp) an unlimited
monarch.

We may now draw from it also this inference, that ungodly
men have no excuse in being driven by Satan to commit all
sorts of crimes. Whence comes it that they are subject
to his tyranny, but because they are rebels against God ?
If none are the slaves of Satan, but those who have re-
nounced the service, and refuse to yield to the authority, of
God, let them blame themselves, for having so cruel a master.

By the children of disobedience, according to a Hebrew
idiom, are meant obstinate persons. Unbelief is always ac-

99:3 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. IT. 3.

companied by disobedience ; so that it is the source—the
mother of all stubbornness.

3. Among whom also we all had our conversation. Lest
it should be supposed that what he had now said was a slan-
derous reproach against the former character of the Ephe-
sians, or that Jewish pride had led him to treat the Gentiles
as an inferior race, he associates himself and his countrymen
along with them in the general accusation. This is not
done in hypocrisy, but in a sincere ascription of giory to
God. It may excite wonder, indeed, that he should speak
of himself as having walked “in the lusts of the flesh,”
while, on other occasions, he boasts that his life had been
throughout irreproachable. ‘“ Touching the righteousness
which is in the law, blameless.” (Phil. iii. 6.) And again,
“ Ye are witnesses, and God also, how holily, and justly, and
unblamably, we behaved ourselves among you that believe.”
(1 Thess. ii. 10.) Ireply, the statement applies to all who
have not been regenerated by the Spirit of Christ. However
praiseworthy, in appearance, the life of some may be, because
their lusts do not break out in the sight of men, there is no-
thing pure or holy which does not proceed from the fountain
of all purity.

Fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind. To ful-
fil these desires, is to live according to the guidance of our
natural disposition and of our mind. The flesh means here
the disposition, or, what is called, the inclination of the na-
ture ; and the next expression (r@v dsavolev) means what
proceeds from the mind. Now, the mind includes reason,
such as it exists in men by nature ; so that lusts do not re-
fer exclusively to the lower appetites, or what is called the
sensual part of man, but extend to the whole.

And were by nature’ children of wrath. All men without
exception, whether Jews or Gentiles, (Gal. 11. 15, 16,) are

* « Soe, ‘nature,’ in such an idiom, signifies what is essential as opposed
to what is accidental, what is innate in contrast with what is acquired.
This is its general sense, whatever its specific application. Thus, Pegudéxou
gues is the nature of a drug, its colour, growth, and potency. vis ro
Aiyvrcou is the nature of the land of Egypt—a phrase referring to no arti-
ficial peculiarity, but to results which follow from its physical conforma-
tion.” —Eadie.

CHAP. II. 3. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 223

here pronounced to be guilty, until they are redeemed by
Christ ; so that out of Christ there is no righteousness, no
salvation, and, in short, no excellence. Children of wrath
are those who are lost, and who deserve eternal death.
Wrath means the judgment of God ; so that the children of
wrath are those who are condemned before God. Such, the
apostle tells us, had been the Jews,—such had been all the
excellent men that were now in the Church ; and they were
so by nature, that is, from their very commencement, and
from their mother’s womb.

This is a remarkable passage, in opposition to the views
of the Pelagians, and of all who deny original sin. What
dwells naturally in all is certainly original ; but Paul de-
clares that we are all naturally liable to condemnation ;
therefore sin dwells naturally in us, for God does not con-
demn the innocent. Pelagians were wont to object, that sin
spread from Adam to the whole human race, not by descent,
but by imitation. But Paul affirms that we are born with
sin, as serpents bring their venom from the womb. Others
who think that it is not in reality sin, are not less at vari-
ance with Paul’s language ; for where condemnation is, there
must unquestionably be sin. It is not with blameless men,
but with sin, that God is offended. Nor is it wonderful that
the depravity which we inherit from our parents is reckoned
as sin before God; for the seeds of sin, before they have
been openly displayed, are perceived and condemned.

But one question here arises. Why does Paul represent
the Jews, equally with others, as subject to wrath and curse,
while they were the blessed seed? I answer, they have a
common nature. Jews differ from Gentiles in nothing but
this, that, through the grace of the promise, God delivers
them from destruction ; but that is a remedy which came
after the disease. Another question is, since God is the
Author of nature, how comes it that no blame attaches to
God, if we are lost by nature? I answer, there is a twofold
nature: the one was produced by God, and the other is the
corruption of it. This condemnation therefore which Paul
mentions does not proceed from God, but from a depraved
nature: for we are not born such as Adam was at first

224

COMMENTARIES ON THE

CHAP. II. 4.

created, we are not “wholly a right seed, but are turned
into the degenerate” (Jer. ii. 21) offspring of a degenerate

and sinful man.

4. But God, who is rich in mercy,
for his great love wherewith he
loved us,

5. Even when we were dead in
sins, hath quickened us_ together
with Christ; (by grace ye are
saved ;)

6. And hath raised us up toge-
ther, and made us sit together in
heavenly places in Christ Jesus ;

7. That in the ages to come he
might shew the exceeding riches of
his grace, in his kindness toward us
through Christ Jesus.

4. Deus autem, qui dives est in
misericordia, propter multam suam
dilectionem, qua nos dilexit,

5. Etiam quum essemus mortui
peccatis, convivificavit cum Christo ;
(Gratia estis salvati ;)

6. Et simul excitavit, et sedere
fecit in ecelestibus in Christo Iesu,

7. Ut demonstraret in szeculis
supervenientibus exsuperantes divi-
tias gratie sus, in benignitate erga
nos in Christo Iesu.

4. But God, who is rich in mercy. Now follows the se-
cond member of the sentence, the substance of which is,
that God had delivered the Ephesians from the destruction
to which they were formerly liable ; but the words which he
employs are different. G'od, who is rich in mercy, hath
quickened you together with Christ. The meaning is, that
there is no other life than that which is breathed into us by
Christ : so that we begin to live only when we are ingrafted
into him, and enjoy the same life with himself. This
enables us to see what the apostle formerly meant by death,
for that death and this resurrection are brought into
contrast. To be made partakers of the life of the Son
of God,—to be quickened by one Spirit, is an inestimable
privilege.

On this ground he praises the mercy of God, meaning by
its riches, that it had been poured out in a singularly large
and abundant manner. The whole of our salvation is here
ascribed to the merey of God. But he presently adds, for

1 «That is, exceedingly bountiful and liberal in the exercise of mercy.
And in this metaphorical sense, the words ‘rich’ and ‘riches’ are used by
the best writers. Lucian speaks of rAcir0s PsAocopias, ¢ the riches of philo-
sophy.’ The Roman orator frequently speaks of ‘the riches of the mind,’
by which he means those excellencies of understanding and virtue which
are the peculiar ornaments and riches of it. De Orat. I. So the apostle
means here the infinite benignity of the Divine Nature, and his unchange-
able disposition to be merciful.”——Chandler.

}
:
:

CHAP. II. 6. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 295

his great love wherewith he loved us.1 This is a still more ex-
press declaration, that all was owing to undeserved good-
ness; for he declares that God was moved by this single
consideration. “ Herein,” says John, “is love, not that we
loved God, but that he loved us.—We love him because he
first loved us.” (1 John iv. 10, 19.)

5. Hven when we were dead in sin. These words have the
same emphasis as similar expressions in another Epistle.
‘““ For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ
died for the ungodly.—But God commendeth his love toward
us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
(Rom. v. 6, 8.) Whether the words, by grace ye are saved,
have been inserted by another hand, I know not; but, as
they are perfectly agreeable to the context, I am quite will-
ing to receive them as written by Paul. They shew us that he
always feels as if he had not sufficiently proclaimed the riches
of Divine grace, and accordingly expresses, by a variety of
terms, the same truth, that everything connected with our
salvation ought to be ascribed to God as its author. And
certainly he who duly weighs the ingratitude of men will not
complain that this parenthesis is superfluous.

6. And hath raised us up together. The resurrection and
sitting in heaven, which are here mentioned, are not yet
seen by mortal eyes. Yet, as if those blessings were pre-
sently in our possession, he states that we have reecived
them ; and illustrates the change which has taken place in
our condition, when we were led from Adam to Christ. It
is as if we had been brought from the deepest hell to heaven
itself. And certainly, although, as respects ourselves, our
salvation is still the object of hope, yet in Christ we already
possess a blessed immortality and glory; and therefore, he
adds, in Christ Jesus. Hitherto it does not appear in the
members, but only in the head; yet, in consequence of the
secret union, it belongs truly to the members. Some render
it, through Christ ; but, for the reason which has been men-

* © ¢Voving with love,’ increaseth the emphasis and force of the expres-
sion. Cicero hath an expression exactly parallel: ‘ Cura ut me ames
amore illo tuo singulari.—Ep. Fam. ‘ Be sure you love me with your
singular and peculiar love.’ An allowed beauty in a profane author should
not be censured as a tautology in a sacred one.”—Chandler.

Fr

COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. IL. 7.
tioned, it is better to retain the usual rendering, in Christ.
We are thus furnished with the richest consolation. Of
everything which we now want, we have a sure pledge and
foretaste in the person of Christ.

7. That in the ages to come. The final and true cause—
the glory of God—is again mentioned, that the Ephesians,
by making it the subject of earnest study, might be more
fully assured of their salvation. He likewise adds, that it
was the design of God to hallow, in all ages, the remem-
brance of so great goodness. This exhibits still more strongly
the hateful character of those by whom the free calling of the
Gentiles was attacked ; for they were endeavouring instantly
to crush that scheme which was destined to be remembered
through all ages. But we, too, are instructed by it, that
the mercy of God, who was pleased to admit our fathers into
the number of his own people, deserves to be held in ever-
lasting remembrance. The calling of the Gentiles is an as-
tonishing work of divine goodness, which ought to be handed
down by parents to children, and to their children’s children,
that it may never be forgotten or unacknowledged by the
sons of men.

The riches of his grace in his kindness. The love of
God to us in Christ is here proved, or again declared, to have
had its origin in mercy. That he might shew, says he, the
exceeding riches of his grace. How? In his kindness towards
us, as the tree is known by its fruit. Not only, therefore,
does he declare, that the love of God was free, but likewise
that God displayed in it the riches,—the extraordinary pre-
eminent riches of his grace. It deserves notice, also, that
the name of Christ is repeated; for no grace, no love,
“must be expected by us from God, except through his
mediation.

8. For by grace are ye saved
through faith; and that not of your-
selves: it is the gift of God:

9. Not of works, lest any man
should boast.

10. For we are his workmanship,
created in Christ Jesus unto good
works, which God hath before or-
dained that we should walk in them.

8. Gratia enim estis salvati per
fidem; idque non ex vobis: Dei
donum est.

9. Non ex operibus ; ne quis glo-
rietur.

10. Ipsius enim opus sumus, cre-
ati in Christo Iesu ad opera bona,
que preparavit Deus, ut in illis am-
bulemus.

LS ee eS

i ee esa oe

CHAP It. 9 EPISTLE TU THE EPHESIANS. IF

8. For by grace are ye saved. This is an inference from
the former statements. Having treated of election and of
effectual calling, he arrives at this general conclusion, that
they had obtained salvation by faith alone. First, he asserts,
that the salvation of the Ephesians was entirely the work,
the gracious work of God. But then they had obtained this
erace by faith. On one side, we must look at God; and, on
the other, at man. God declares, that he owes us nothing;
so that salvation is not a reward or recompense, but un-
mixed grace. The next question is, in what way do men
receive that salvation which is offered to them by the
hand of God? The answer is, by faith; and hence he con-
cludes that nothing connected with it is our own. If, on the
part of God, it is grace alone, and if we bring nothing but
faith, which strips us of all commendation, it follows that
salvation does not come from us.

Ought we not then to be silent about free-will, and good
intentions, and fancied preparations, and merits, and satis
factions? There is none of these which does not claim a
share of praise in the salvation of men; so that the praise
of grace would not, as Paul shews, remain undiminished.
When, on the part of man, the act of receiving salvation is
made to consist in faith alone, all other means, on which men
are accustomed to rely, are discarded. Faith, then, brings a
man empty to God, that he may be filled with the blessings
of Christ. And so he adds, not of yourselves ; that, claiming
nothing for themselves, they may acknowledge God alone
as the author of their salvation.

9. Not of works. Instead of what he had said, that their
salvation is of grace, he now affirms, that “it is the gift of
God.”* Instead of what he had said, “ Not of yourselves,”

1“ Kal rodro ox 2Z juav, It has been not a little debated, among both
ancient and modern commentators, to what noun +sdro should be referred.
Some say, to «icrews ; others, to xégir1; though on the sense of riers they
differ in their views. ‘The reference seems, however, to be neither to the
one nor to the other, but to the subject of the foregoing clause, salvation
by grace, through faith in Christ and his gospel; a view, I find, adopted
by Dr. Chandler, Dean Tucker, Dr. Macknight, and Dr. A. Clarke. And
to show that this interpretation is not a mere novelty, I need only refer
the reader to Theophylact, who thus explains: 04 ri riorw Abyss ddgov Ox00,
AAAG FO die Ticrews cwhhvas TovTO daeov tors @zov. * He does not say that faith

rales: COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. IT. 9)

he now says, “ Not of works.’ Hence we see, that the
apostle leaves nothing to men in procuring salvation. In
these three phrases,—not of yourselves,—it is the gift of
God,—not of works,—he embraces the substance of his long
argument in the Epistles to the Romans and to the Gala-
tians, that righteousness comes to us from the mercy of God
alone,—is offered to us in Christ by the gospel,—and is re-
ceived by faith alone, without the merit of works.

This passage affords an easy refutation of the idle cavil
by which Papists attempt to evade the argument, that we
are justified without works. Paul, they tell us, is speaking
about ceremonies. But the present question is not confined
to one class of works. Nothing can be more clear than this.
The whole righteousness of man, which consists in works,—
nay, the whole man, and everything that he can call his own,
is set aside. We must attend to the contrast between God
and man,—between grace and works. Why should God be
contrasted with man, if the controversy related to nothing
more than ceremonies ?

Papists themselves are compelled to own that Pau!
ascribes to the grace of God the whole glory of our salvation,
but endeavour to do away with this admission by another
contrivance. This mode of expression, they tell us, is em-
ployed, because God bestows the first grace. It is really
foolish to imagine that they can succeed in this way, since
Paul excludes man and his utmost ability,—not only from
the commencement, but throughout,—from the whole work
of obtaining salvation.

But it is still more absurd to overlook the apostle’s infer-
ence, lest any man should boast. Some room must always
remain for man’s boasting, so long as, independently of grace,
merits are of any avail. Paul’s doctrine is overthrown, unless
the whole praise is rendered to God alone and to his mercy.
And here we must advert to a very common error in the in-
terpretation of this passage. Many persons restrict the word
gift to faith alone. But Paul is only repeating in other words
the former sentiment. His meaning is, not that faith is the

is the gift of God; but to be saved by faith, this is the gift of God.’ Such
also is the view adopted by Chrysostom and Theodoret.”— Bloomfield.

CILAP. 11. 10. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 229

gift of God, but that salvation is given to us by God, or,
that we obtain it by the gift of God.

10. Yor we are his work. By setting aside the contrary
supposition, he proves his statement, that by grace we are
saved,—that we have no remaining works by which we can
merit salvation ; for all the good works which we possess are
the fruit of regeneration. Hence it follows, that works them-
selves are a part of grace.

When he says, that “ we are the work of God,” this does
not refer to ordinary creation, by which we are made men.
We are declared to be new creatures, because, not by our own
power, but by the Spirit of Christ, we have been formed
to righteousness. This applies to none but believers. As
the descendants of Adam, they were wicked and depraved ;
but by the grace of Christ, they are spiritually renewed, and
become new men. Everything in us, therefore, that is good,
is the supernatural gift of God. The context explains his
meaning. We are his work, because we have been created,
—not in Adam, but in Christ Jesus,—not to every kind of
life, but to good works.

What remains now for free-will, if all the good works which
proceed from us are acknowledged to have been the gifts of
the Spirit of God? Let godly readers weigh carefully the
apostle’s words. He does not say that we are assisted by
God. He does not say that the will is prepared, and is then
left to run by its own strength. He does not say that the
power of chocsing aright is bestowed upon us, and that we
are afterwards left to make our own choice. Such is the
idle talk in which those persons who do their utmost to un-
dervalue the grace of God are accustomed to indulge. But
the apostle affirms that we are God’s work, and that every-
thing good in us is his creation ; by which he means that
the whole man is formed by his hand to be good. It is not
the mere power of choosing aright, or some indescribable
kind of preparation, or even assistance, but the right will it-
self, which is his workmanship ; otherwise Paul’s argument
would have no force. He means to prove that man does
not in any way procure salvation for himself, but obtains it
as a free gift from God. The proof is, that man is nothing

230 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP.1T. 10.

but by divine grace. Whoever, then, makes the very
smallest claim for man, apart from the grace of God, allows
him, to that extent, ability to procure salvation.

Created to good works. They err widely from Paul’s in-
tention, who torture this passage for the purpose of injuring
the righteousness of faith. Ashamed to affirm in plain
terms, and aware that they could gain nothing by affirming,
that we are not justified by faith, they shelter themselves
under this kind of subterfuge. “ We are justified by faith,
because faith, by which we receive the grace of God, is
the commencement of righteousness; but we are made
righteous by regeneration, because, being renewed by the
Spirit of God, we walk in good works.” In this manner they
make faith the door by which we enter into righteousness,
but imagine that we obtain it by our works, or, at least,
they define righteousness to be that uprightness by which a
man is formed anew to a holy life. I care not how old this
error may be; but they err egregiously who endeavour to
support it by this passage.

We must look to Paul’s design. He intends to shew that
we have brought nothing to God,.by which he might be laid
under obligations to us; and he shews that even the good
works which we perform have come from God. Hence it
follows, that we are nothing, except through the pure exer-
cise of his kindness. Those men, on the other hand, infer
that the half of our justification arises from works. But
what has this to do with Paul’s intention, or with the sub-
ject which he handles? It is one thing to inquire in what
righteousness consists, and another thing to follow up the
doctrine, that it is not from ourselves, by this argument,
that we have no right to claim good works'as our own, but
have been formed by the Spirit of God, through the grace of
Christ, to all that is good. When Paul lays down the cause
of justification, he dwells chiefly on this point, that our con-
sciences will never enjoy peace till they rely on the propi-
tiation for sins. Nothing of this sort is even alluded to in
the present instance. His whole object is to prove, that,
“by the grace of God, we are all that we are.” (1 Cor
xv. 10.)

wa

ae

cnap. 1. 11. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 231

Which God hath prepared. Beware of applying this, as
the Pelagians do, to the instruction of the law; as if Paul’s
meaning were, that God commands what is just, and lays
down a proper rule of life. Instead of this, he follows up the
doctrine which he had begun to illustrate, that salvation
does not proceed from ourselves. He says, that, before we
were born, the good works were prepared by God ; meaning,
that in our own strength we are not able to lead a holy life,
but only so far as we are formed and adapted by the hand
of God. Now, if the grace of God came before our perform-
ances, all ground of boasting has been taken away. Let us
carefully observe the word prepared. On the simple ground
of the order of events, Paul rests the proof that, with respect
to good works, God owes us nothing. How so? Because
they were drawn out of his treasures, in which they had long
before been laid up; for whom he called, them he justifies
and regenerates.

11. Wherefore remember, that ye
being in time past Gentiles in the
flesh, who are called Uncireumcision
by that which is called the Circum-
cision in the flesh made by hands;

12. That at that time ye were
without Christ, being aliens from
the commonwealth of Israel, and
strangers from the covenants of pro-
mise, having no hope, and without
God in the world:

13. But now, in Christ Jesus, ye
who sometimes were far off are made
nigh by the blood of Christ.

11. Wherefore remember.

11. Quamobrem memores estote,
quod aliquando vos Gentes in carne,
qui dicebamini Preputium ab ea,
que vocatur Circumcisio, in carne
manu facta;

12. Illo tempore eratis absque
Christo, alienati a republica Israelis,
hospites tabularum promissionis,
spem non habentes, et sine Deo in
mundo.

13. Nune autem in Christo Jesu
vos, qui quondam eratis procul, facti
estis propinqui per Christi san-
guinem.

The apostle never once loses

sight of his subject, marks it out clearly, and pursues it with
increasing earnestness. He again exhorts the Ephesians to
remember what their character had been before they were
called. ‘This consideration was fitted to convince them that
they had no reason to be proud. He afterwards points out
the method of reconciliation, that they might rest with per-
fect satisfaction on Christ alone, and not imagine that other
aids were necessary. ‘The first clause may be thus summed
up: “ Remember that, when ye were uncircumcised, ye were
aliens from Christ, from the hope of salvation, and from the

23e COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. if. 11;

Church and kingdom of God; so that ye had no friendly
intercourse with God.” The second may ran thus: “ But
now ingrafted into Christ, ye are at the same time reconciled
to God.” What is implicd in both parts of the description,
and what effect the remembrance of it was fitted to produce
on their minds, has been already considered.

Gentiles in the flesh. He first mentions that they had
wanted the marks of God’s people. Circumcision was a
token by which the people of God were marked out and dis-
tinguished from other men: Uncircwmeision was the mark
of a profane person. Since, therefore, God usually connects
his grace with the sacraments, their want of the sacraments
is taken as an evidence that neither were they partakers of
his grace. The argument, indeed, does not hold universally,
though it does hold as to God’s ordinary dispensations.
Hence we find the following language: ‘ And the Lord God
said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good
and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also
of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: therefore the
Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till
the ground from whence he was taken. So he drove out
the man.” (Gen. iii. 22, 23.) Though he had devoured the
whole tree, he would not, by merely eating it, have recovered
the possession of life; but, by taking away the sign, the Lord
took from him also life itself. Uncircumcision is thus held
out to the Ephesians as a mark of pollution. By taking from
the Ephesians the token of sanctification, he deprives them
also of the thing signified.

Some are of opinion, that all these observations are in-
tended to throw contempt on outward circumcision ; but
this isa mistake. At the same time, I acknowledge, that
the qualifying clause, the Circumcision in the flesh made by
hands, points out a twofold circumcision. The Jews were
thus taught that they should no longer indulge in foolish
boasting about the literal circumcision. The Ephesians, on
the other hand, were instructed to abstain from all scruples
on their own account, since the most important privilege—
nay, the whole truth expressed by the outward sign—
was in their possession. He calls it, Uneircumeision in the

Gap. 11.12. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 233

fresh, because they bore the mark of their pollution ; but, at
the same time, he suggests that their uncircumcision was no
hinderance to their being spiritually circumcised by Christ.

The words may likewise be read in one clause, Circwmcr-
sion in the flesh made by hands, or in two clauses: Circum-
cision tn the flesh, meaning that it was carnal; made by
hands, meaning that it was done by the hand of man. This
kind of circumcision is contrasted with that of the Spirit, or

of the heart, (Rom. ii. 29,) which is also called the circum-

cision of Christ. (Col. 11. 11.)

By that which is called. Circumcision may be viewed
here either as a collective noun for the Jews themselves, or
literally for the thing itself; and then the meaning would
be, that the Gentiles were called Uncircumcision, because
they wanted the sacred symbol, that is, by way of distinction.
This latter sense is countenanced by the qualifying phrase ;
but the substance of the argument is little affected.

12. That at that time ye were without Christ. He now
declares that the Ephesians had been excluded, not only
from the outward badge, but from everything necessary to
the salvation and happiness of men, As Christ is the foun-
dation of hope and of all the promises, he mentions, first of
all, that they were without Christ. But for him that is
without Christ, there remains nothing but destruction. On
Him the commonwealth of Israel was founded ; and in whom,
but in Himself, could the people of God be collected into one
holy society ?

A similar observation might be made as to the tables of
the promise. On one great promise made to Abraham all the
others hang, and without it they lose all their value: “ In
thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.” (Gen.
xxii. 18.) Hence our apostle says elsewhere, “ All the pro-
mises of God in him are yea, andin him Amen.” (2 Cor. i.
20.) Take away the covenant of salvation, and there re-
mains no hope. I have translated rév SiaOyxav by the
tables, or, in ordinary legal phrase, the instruments. By a
solemn ritual did God sanction his covenant with Abraham
and his posterity, that he would be their God for ever and
ever. (Gen. xv. 9.) Tables of this covenant were ratified

234 COMMENTARIES ON TILE CHAP. IT. | 2.

by the hand of Moses, and intrusted, as a peculiar treasure,
to the people of Isracl, to whom, and not to the Gentiles,
“‘ pertain the covenants.” (Rom. ix. 4.)

And without God in the world. But at no period were
the Ephesians, or any other Gentiles, destitute of all religion.
Why, then, are they styled (a@@eor) Atheists? for (eos) an
Atheist, strictly speaking, is one who does not believe, and
who absolutely ridicules, the being of a God. That appel-
lation, certainly, is not usually given to superstitious per-
sons, but to those who have no feeling of religion, and who
desire to see it utterly destroyed. I answer, Paul was right
in giving them this name, for he treated all the notions
entertained respecting false gods as nothing; and with the
utmost propriety do godly persons regard all idols as
“nothing in the world.” (1 Cor. vii. 4.) Those who do not
worship the true God, whatever may be the variety of their
worship, or the multitude of laborious ceremonies which they
perform, are without God: they adore what they know not.
(Acts xvii. 23.) Let it be carefully observed, that the Ephe-
sians are not charged with (a@eicpos) Atheism, in the same
degree as Diagoras, and others of the same stamp, who were
subjected to that reproach. Persons who imagined them-
selves to be very religious are charged with that crime; for
an idol is a forgery, an imposition, not a Divinity.

From what has been said, the conclusion will be easily
drawn, that out of Christ there are none but idols. Those
who were formerly declared to be without Christ, are now
declared to be without God ;' as John says, “ Whosoever
hath not the Son, hath not the Father,” (1 John ii. 23 ;)
and again, ‘“‘ Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in
the doctrine of Christ, hath not God.” (2 John 9.) Let
us know, therefore, that all who do not keep this way wan-
der from the true God. We shall next be asked, Did God
never reveal himself to any of the Gentiles? I answer, no
manifestation of God without Christ was ever made among

1 «They either knew him not, or did not worship him as God; they had
not avouched, or solemnly owned, or taken him for their God; and, in
consequence, were not avouched, were not owned, and blessed, and accepted

by him as his peculiar people. This was their condition as Gentiles born.”
— Chandler.

to

CHAP. 11. 14. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 39
the Gentiles, any more than among the Jews. It is not to
one age only, or to one nation, that the saying of our Lord
applies, “I am the way;” for he adds, “no man cometh
unto the Father but by me.” (John xiv. 6.)

13. But now in Christ Jesus. We must either supply the
verb, now that ye have been received in Christ Jesus, or con-
nect the word now with the conclusion of the verse, now
through the blood of Christ,—which will be a still clearer ex-
position. In either case, the meaning is, that the Ephesians,
who were far off from God and from salvation, had been
reconciled to God through Christ, and made nigh by his
blood ; for the blood of Christ has taken away the enmity
which existed between them and God, and from being ene-
mies hath made them sons.

14. For he is our peace, who hath
made both one, and hath broken
down the middle wall of partition
between us ;

15. Having abolished in his flesh
the enmity, even the law of com-
mandments contained in ordinances ;
for to make in himself of twain one
new man, so making peace;

16. And that he might reconcile

14. Ipse enim est pax nostra, qui
fecit utraque unum, et interstitium
maceriz solvens, inimicitias in carne
sua ;

15. Legem mandatorum in de-
cretis positam abolens, ut duos con-
deret in se ipso, in unum noyvum
hominem, faciens pacem ;

16. Ut reconciliaret ambos in uno

both unto God in one body by the
cross, having slain the enmity there-

by.

corpore Deo per crucem, inimicitias
in ipsa interimens.

14. For he is our peace. He now includes Jews in the
privilege of reconciliation, and shews that, through one Mes-
siah, all are united to God. This consideration was fitted
to repress the false confidence of the Jews, who, despising
the grace of Christ, boasted that they were the holy people,
and chosen inheritance, of God. If Christ 7s owr peace, all
who are out of him must be at variance with God. What a
beautiful title is this which Christ possesses,—the peace
between God and men! Let no one who dwells in Christ
entertain a doubt that he is reconciled to God.

Who hath made both one. This distinction was necessary."

1 “J] estoit necessaire que l’Apostre distinguast ainsi Jes hommes en
deux bandes.” ‘It was necessary that the apostle should separate men
into two classes.”

a)

236 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. 11. I +.

All intercourse with the Gentiles was held to be inconsistent
with their own superior claims.'| To subdue this pride, he
tells them that they and the Gentiles have been united into
one body. Put all these things together, and you will frame
the following syllogism: If the Jews wish to enjoy peace
with God, they must have Christ as their Mediator. But
Christ will not be their peace in any other way than by
making them one body with the Gentiles. Therefore, unless
the Jews admit the Gentiles to fellowship with them, they
have no friendship with God.

And breaking down the middle wall of partition. To un-
derstand this passage, two things must be observed. The
Jews were separated, for a certain time, from the Gentiles,
by the appointment of God; and ceremonial observances
were the open and avowed symbols of that separation.
Passing by the Gentiles, God had chosen the Jews to bea
peculiar people to himself. A wide distinction was thus
made, when the one class were “fellow-citizens and of the
household” (Eph. ii. 19) of the Church, and the other were
foreigners. This is stated in the Song of Moses: ‘“ When
the Most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when
he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the
people according to the number of the children of Israel :
for the Lord’s portion is his people, Jacob is the lot of his
inheritance.” (Deut. xxxii. 8, 9.) Bounds were thus fixed
by God to separate one people from the rest; and hence
arose the enmity which is here mentioned. A separation is
thus made. The Gentiles are set aside. God is pleased to
choose and sanctify the Jewish people, by freeing them from
the ordinary pollution of mankind. Ceremonial observances
were afterwards added, which, like walls, enclosed the in-
heritance of God, prevented it from being open to all or
mixed with other possessions, and thus excluded the Gen-
tiles from the kingdom of God.

" “Les Juifs estans enflez du privilege que Dieu leur avoit fait, tenoyent
les Gentils pour indignes de communiquer avee eux en sorte quelconque.”
“The Jews, puffed up with the privilege which God had conferred upon
them, reckoned the Gentiles to be unworthy of being admitted to any
intercourse whatever.” ;

SS ee

aa

virgen

GHAP. IL, 15. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. ose

But now, the apostle says, the enmity is removed, and the
wall is broken down. By extending the privilege of adoption
beyond the limits of Judea, Christ has now made us all to be
brethren. And so is fulfilled the prophecy, “ God shall en-
large Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem.”
(Gen. ix. 27.)

15. Having abolished in his flesh the enmity. The meaning
of Paul’s words is now clear. The middle wall of partition
hindered Christ from forming Jews and Gentiles into one
body, and therefore the wall has been broken down. The
reason why it is broken down is now added—to abolish the
enmity, by the flesh of Christ. The Son of God, by assuming
a nature common to all, has formed in his own body a perfect
unity.

Hven the law of commandments contained in ordinances.
What had been metaphorically understood by the word wall is
now more plainly expressed. The ceremonies, by which the
distinction was declared, have been abolished through Christ.
What were circumcision, sacrifices, washings, and abstaining
from certain kinds of food, but symbols of sanctification,
reminding the Jews that their lot was different from that of
other nations ; just as the white and the red cross distinguish
the French of the present day from the inhabitants of Bur-
gundy. Paul declares not only that the Gentiles are equally
with the Jews admitted to the fellowship of grace, so that
they no longer differ from each other, but that the mark of
difference has been taken away; for ceremonies have been
abolished. If two contending nations were brought under
the dominion of one prince, he would not only desire that
they should live in harmony, but would remove the badges
and marks of their former enmity. When an obligation is
discharged, the handwriting is destroyed,—a metaphor
which Paul employs on this very subject in another Epistle.!
(Col. ii. 14.)

1 Ey doypacs—" Aoypye is equivalent to the participial form —+d 3:doypévov,
and has its apparent origin in the common phrases which prefaced a pro-
clamation or statute—t00%: +9 Awd xual v7 Bovr%. In the New Testament it
signifies decree, and is applied (Luke ii. 1) to the edict of Cesar, and in
Acts xvii. 7, it occurs with a similar reference. But not only does it sig-
nify imperial statutes; it is also the name given to the decrees of the
ecclesiastical council in Jerusalem. (Acts xvi. 4.) Itis found, too. in the

258 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. It. 16.

Some interpreters,'—though, in my opinion, erroneously,
—connect the words, in ordinances, with abolished, making
the ordinances to be the act of abolishing the ceremonies.
This is Paul’s ordinary phrase for describing the ceremonial
law, in which the Lord not only enjoined upon the Jews a
simple rule of life, but also bound them by various statutes.
It is evident, too, that Paul is here treating exclusively of
the ceremonial law ; for the moral law is not a wall of parti-
tion separating us from the Jews, but lays down instructions
in which the Jews were not less deeply concerned than our-
selves. This passage affords the means of refuting an erro-
neous view held by some, that circumcision and all the an-
cient rites, though they are not binding on the Gentiles, are
in force at the present day upon the Jews. On this principle
there would still be a middle wall of partition between us,
which is proved to be false.

That he might make in himself. When the apostle says,
in himself, he turns away the Ephesians from viewing the
diversity of men, and bids them look for unity nowhere but
in Christ. To whatever extent the two might differ in their
former condition, in Christ they are become one man. But
he emphatically adds, one new man, intimating (what he
explains at greater length on another occasion) that “ neither
circumcision, hor uncircumcision, availeth anything,” (Gal.
vi. 15,) but that “a new creature” holds the first and the
last place. The principle which cements them is spiritual
regeneration. If then we are all renewed by Christ, let the
Jews no longer congratulate themselves on their ancient
condition, but let them be ready to admit that, both in them-
selves and in others, Christ is all.

16. And that he might reconcile both. The reconciliation
between ourselves which has now been described is not the
only advantage which we derive from Christ. We have been
brought back into favour with God. The Jews are thus led
to consider that they have not less need of a Mediator than

parallel passage in Col. ii. 14. In the Septuagint its meaning is the same;
and in the sense first quoted, that of royal mandate, it is frequently used in
the book of Daniel.”—Fadie.

1 Theodoret, Theophylact, and others.

oHAP. 11. 17. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 239
the Gentiles. Without this, neither the Law, nor ceremonies,
nor their descent from Abraham, nor all their dazzling pre-
rogatives, would be of any avail. We are all sinners; and
forgiveness of sins cannot be obtained but through the grace
of Christ. He adds, in one body, to inform the Jews, that to
cultivate union with the Gentiles will be well-pleasing in the
sight of God.

By the cross. The word cross is added, to point out the
propitiatory sacrifice. Sin is the cause of enmity between
God and us; and, until it is removed, we shall not be re-
stored to the Divine favour. It has been blotted out by the
death of Christ, in which he offered himself to the Father as
an expiatory victim. There is another reason, indeed, why
the cross is mentioned here, as it is through the cross that
all ceremonies have been abolished. Accordingly, he adds,
slaying the enmity thereby. These words, which unques-
tionably relate to the cross, may admit of two senses,—
either that Christ, by his death, has turned away from us
the Father’s anger, or that, having redeemed both Jews and
Gentiles, he has brought them back into one flock. The
latter appears to be the more probable interpretation, as it
agrees with a former clause, abolishing in his flesh the enmity.

(Ver: 15.)

17. And came and preached peace

17. Et veniens evangelizavit pa-
to you which were afar off, and to

cem vobis, qui eratis procul, et pacem

them that were nigh.

18. For through him we both
have access by one Spirit unto the
Father.

19. Now therefore ye are no
more strangers and foreigners, but
fellow-citizens with the saints, and
of the household of God ;

20. And are built upon the foun-
dation of the apostles and prophets,
Jesus Christ himself being the chief
corner-stone ;

21. In whom all the building, fitly
framed together, groweth unto an
holy temple in the Lord :

22. In whom ye also are builded
together for an habitation of God
through the Spirit.

17. And came and preached peace.

lis qui propinqui erant ;

18. Quoniam per ipsum habemus
accessum ambo in uno spiritu ad
Patrem.

19. Ergo non amplius estis hos-
pites et inquilini; sed cives sancto-
rum et domestici Dei,

20. Supereedificati fundamento
Apostolorum et Prophetarum, cujus
lapis summus angularis est ipse
Christus ;

21. In quo totum edificium coag-
mentatum crescit in templum sane-
tum in Domino;

22. In quo et vos cozdificamini
in habitaculum Dei in Spiritu.

All that Christ had

240 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAF. 11. 17.

done towards effecting a reconciliation would have been of
no service, if it had not been proclaimed by the gospel ; and
therefore he adds, that the fruit of this peace has now been
offered both to Jews and to Gentiles. Hence it follows, that
to save Gentiles as well as Jews was the design of our Sa-
viour’s coming, as the preaching of the gospel, which is ad-
dressed indiscriminately to both, makes abundantly manifest.
The same order is followed in the second Epistle to the Co-
rinthians. ‘ He hath committed to us the word of reconci-
liation. Now, then, we are ambassadors for Christ. For he
hath made him to be sin for us who knew no sin.” (2 Cor.
y. 18-21.) Salvation through the death of Christ is first
announced, and a description is afterwards given of the
manner in which Christ communicates to us himself and the
benefit of his death. But here Paul dwells chiefly on this
circumstance, that Gentiles are united with Jews in the
kingdom of God. Having already represented Christ as a
Saviour common to both, he now speaks of them as compa-
nions in the gospel. The Jews, though they possessed the
law, needed the gospel also; and God had bestowed upon
the Gentiles equal grace. Those therefore whom “ God hath
joined together, let no man put asunder.” (Matt. xix. 6.)
No reference to distance of place is conveyed by the words
afar off and nigh. The Jews, in respect of the covenant,
were nigh to God. The Gentiles, so long as they had no
promise of salvation, were afar off—were banished from the
kingdom of God.

And preached peace; not indeed by his own lips, but by
the apostles. It was necessary that Christ should rise from
the dead, before the Gentiles were called to the fellowship of
grace. Hence that saying of our Lord, “ Iam not sent but
to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” (Matt. xv. 24.)
The apostles were forbidden, while he was still in the world,
to carry their first embassy to the Gentiles. “ Go not into
the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans,
enter ye not. But go rather to the lost sheep of the house
of Israel.” (Matt. x. 5, 6.) His apostles were afterwards
employed as trumpets for proclaiming the gospel to the Gen-
tiles. What they did, not only in his name, and by his com-

= ee ye

CHAP. 11. 19. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 241

mand, but as it were in his own person, is justly ascribed to
none other than himself. We too speak as if Christ himself
exhorted you by us. (2 Cor. v. 20.) The faith of the gospel
would be weak indeed, were we to look no higher than to
men. Its whole authority is derived from viewing men as
God’s instruments, and hearing Christ speak to us by their
mouth. Observe here, the gospel is the message of peace,
by which God declares himself to be reconciled to us, and

- makes known his paternal love. Take away the gospel,

and war and enmity continue to subsist between God and
men; and, on the other hand, the native tendency of the
gospel is, to give peace and calmness to the conscience, which
would otherwise be tormented by distressing alarm.

18. For through him we both have access. This is an argu-
ment from the fact, that we are permitted to draw near to
God. But it may be viewed also as an announcement of peace ;
for wicked men, lulled into a profound sleep, sometimes
deceive themselves by false notions of peace, but are never
at rest, except when they have learned to forget the Divine
judgment, and to keep themselves at the greatest possible
distance from God. It was necessary, therefore, to explain
the true nature of evangelical peace, which is widely differ-
ent from a stupified conscience, from false confidence, from
proud boasting, from ignorance of our own wretchedness. It
is a settled composure, which leads us not to dread, but to
desire and seek, the face of God. Now, it is Christ who
opens the door tous, yea, who is himself the door. (Jolin x. 9.)
As this is a double door thrown open for the admission both
of Jews and Gentiles, we are led to view God as exhibiting
to both his fatherly kindness. He adds, by one Spirit, who
leads and guides us to Christ, and “ by whom we cry, Abba,
Father,” (Rom. viii..15,) for hence arises the boldness of ap-
proach. Jews had various means of drawing near to God ;
now all have but one way, to be led by the Spirit of God.

19. Now therefore ye are no more strangers. The Ephe-
sians are now exclusively addressed. They were formerly
strangers from the covenants of promise, but their condition
was now changed. They were foreigners, but God had made
them citizens of his church. The high value of that honour

Q

249 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. il. 20.

which God had been pleased to bestow upon them, is ex-
pressed in a variety of language. They are first called fel-
low-citizens with the saints,—next, of the household of God,
—and lastly, stones properly fitted into the building of the
temple of the Lord. The first appellation is taken from the
comparison of the church to a state, which occurs very fre-
quently in Scripture. Those who were formerly profane, and
utterly unworthy to associate with godly persons, have been
raised to distinguished honour in being admitted to be mem-
bers of the same community with Abraham,—with all the
holy patriarchs, and prophets, and kings,—nay, with the an-
gels themselves. To be of the household of God, which is the
second comparison, suggests equally exalted views of their
present condition. God has admitted them into his own
family ; for the church is God’s house.

20. And are built. The third comparison illustrates the
manner in which the Ephesians, and all other Christians are
admitted to the honour of being fellow-citizens with the
saints and of the household of God. They are built on the
foundation,—they are’ founded on the doctrine, of the apos-
tles and prophets. We are thus enabled to distinguish
between a true and a false church. This is of the greatest
importance ; for the tendency to error is always strong, and
the consequences of mistake are dangerous in the extreme.
No churches boast more loudly of the name than those which
bear a false and empty title ; as may be seen in our own
times. To guard us against mistake, the mark of a true
church is pointed out.

Foundation, in this passage, unquestionably means doc-
trine; for no mention is made of patriarchs or pious kings,
but only of those who held the office of teachers, and whom
God had appointed to superintend the edification of his
church. It is laid down by Paul, that the faith of the
church ought to be founded on this doctrine. What opi-
nion, then, must we form of those who rest entirely on the
contrivances of men, and yet accuse us of revolt, because we
embrace the pure doctrine of God? But the manner in
which it is founded deserves inquiry ; for, in the strict sense
of the term, Christ is the only foundation. He alone sup-

CHAP. Ir. 20. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 243

ports the whole church. He alone is the rule and standard
of faith. But Christ is actually the foundation on which
the church is built by the preaching of doctrine ; and, on
this account, the prophets and apostles are called builders.
(1 Cor. iii. 10.) Nothing else, Paul tells us, was ever in-
tended by the prophets and apostles, than to found a church
on Christ. .

We shall find this to be true, if we begin with Moses ;
for “ Christ is the end of the law,” (Rom. x. 4,) and the sum
of the gospel. Let us remember, therefore, that if we wish
to be reckoned among believers, we must place our reliance
on no other: if we wish to make sure progress in the know-
ledge of the Scriptures, to him our whole attention must be
directed. The same lesson is taught, when we consult the
word of God as contained in the writings of the prophets
and apostles. To shew us how we ought to combine them,
their harmony is pointed out; for they have a common
foundation, and labour jointly in building the temple of
God. Though the apostles have become our teachers,
the instruction of the prophets has not been rendered
superfluous ; but one and the same object is promoted by
both.

I have been led to make this remark by the conduct of
the Marcionites in ancient times, who expunged the word
prophets from this passage ; and by that of certain fanatics
in the present day, who, following their footsteps, exclaim
loudly that we have nothing to do with the law and the
prophets, because the gospel has put an end to their autho-
rity. The Holy Spirit everywhere declares, that he has
spoken to us by the mouth of the prophets, and demands
that we shall listen to him in their writings. This is of no
small consequence for maintaining the authority of our faith.
All the servants of God, from first to last, are so perfectly
agreed, that their harmony is in itself a clear demonstration
that it is one God who speaks in them all. The commence-
ment of our religion must be traced to the creation of the
world. In vain do Papists, Mahometans, and other sects,
boast of their antiquity, while they are mere counterfeits of
the true, the pure religion.

Pa

Q44. COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. 11.21.

Jesus Christ himself is the chief corner-stone.' Those who
transfer this honour to Peter, and maintain that on him the
church is founded, are so void of shame, as to attempt to
justify their error by quoting this passage. They hold out
that Christ is called the chief corner-stone, by comparison
with others ; and that there are many stones on which the
church is founded. But this difficulty is easily solved. Vari-
ous metaphors are employed by the apostles according to the
diversity of circumstances, but still with the same meaning.
In writing to the Corinthians, Paul lays down an incontes-
table proposition, that “no other foundation can be laid.”
(1 Cor. iii. 11.) He does not therefore mean, that Christ is
merely a corner, or a part of the foundation ; for then he
would contradict himself. What then? He means that
Jews and Gentiles were two separate walls, but are formed
into one spiritual building. Christ is placed in the middle
of the corner for the purpose of uniting both, and this is the
force of the metaphor. What is immediately added shews
sufficiently that he is very far from limiting Christ to any
one part of the building.

21. In whom all the building groweth. If this be true,
what will become of Peter? When Paul, in writing to the
Corinthians, speaks of Christ as a “ Foundation,” he does
not mean that the church is begun by him and completed
by others, but draws a distinction arising out of a compari-
son of his own labours with those of other men. It had
been his duty to found the church at Corinth, and to leave
to his successors the completion of the building. ‘“ Accord-
ing to the grace of God which is given to me, as a wise
master-builder, I have laid the foundation, and another
buildeth on it.” (1 Cor. iii. 10.)

With respect to the present passage, he conveys the in-
struction, that all who are fitly framed together in Christ are

1 « According to that ancient prophecy, (Ps. exviii. 22,) ‘the stone,
which the builders refused, is become the head-stone of the corner.’ The
strength of buildings lies in their angles; and the corner-stone is that
which unites and compacts the different sides of them; the chief corner-
stone is that which is laid at the foundation, upon which the whole angle
of the building rests, and which therefore is the principal support and tie
of the whole edifice.”— Chandler.

CHAP. IT, 22. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 245

the temple of the Lord. There is first required a fitting
together, that believers may embrace and accommodate
themselves to each other by mutual intercourse ; otherwise
there would not be a building, but a confused mass. The
chief part of the symmetry consists in unity of faith, Next
follows progress, or increase. Those who are not united in
faith and loye, so as to grow in the Lord, belong to a profane
building, which has nothing in common with the temple of
the Lord.

Groweth unto an holy temple. Individual believers are at
other times called “temples of the Holy Ghost,” (1 Cor. vi.
19; 2 Cor. vi. 16,) but here all are said to constitute one
temple. In both cases the metaphor is just and appropriate.
When God dwells in each of us, it is his will that we should
embrace all in holy unity, and that thus he should form one
temple out of many. Each person, when viewed separately,
is a temple, but, when joined to others, becomes a stone of
atemple; and this view is given for the sake of recommend-
ing the unity of the church.

22. In whom ye also are builded together, or in whom also
BE YE BUILDED together. The termination of the Greek verb,
cuvorxodoueiobe, like that of the Latin, cowdificamint, does
not enable us to determine whether it is in the imperative
or indicative mood. The context will admit either, but I
prefer the latter sense. It is, I think, an exhortation to the
Ephesians to grow more and more in the faith of Christ,
after having been once founded in it, and thus to form a
part of that new temple of God, the building of which
through the gospel was then in progress in every part of the
world.

Through the Spirit. This is again repeated for two rea-
sons: first, to remind them that all human exertions are of
no avail without the operation of the Spirit ; and secondly,
to point out the superiority of the spiritual building to all
Jewish and outward services.

COMMENTARIES ON THE

CHAP. It. 1.

CHAPTER IIL

1. For this cause, I Paul, the
prisoner of Jesus Christ for you
Gentiles,

2. (If ye have heard of the dis-
pensation of the grace of God which
is given me to you-ward :

3. How that by revelation he
made known unto me the mystery ;
as I wrote afore in few words ;

4. Whereby, when ye read, ye
may understand my knowledge in
the mystery of Christ,

5. Which in other ages was not
made known unto the sons of men,
as it is now revealed unto his holy
apostles and prophets by the Spirit ;

6. That the Gentiles should be
fellow-heirs, and of the same body,
and partakers of his promise in
Christ by the gospel.

1. For this cause.

1. Hujus rei gratia ego Paulus,
vinctus lesu Christi, pro vobis Gen-
tibus legatione fungor ;

2. Siquidem audistis dispensa-
tionem gratize Dei, mihi erga vos
datee,

3. Quod per revelationem mihi
patefecerit arcanum, quemadmodum
scripsi paulo ante.

4. Ad quod potestis attendentes
intelligere cognitionem meam in
mysterio Christi,

5. Quod aliis seeculis non inno-
tuit filiis hominum, quemadmodum
nunc revelatum est sanctis A posto-
lis ejus et Prophetis per Spiritum,

6. Gentes esse coheredes, et con-
corporeas, et consortes promissionis
ejus in Christo per Evangelium.

Paul’s imprisonment, which ought to

have been held as a confirmation of his apostleship, was un-
doubtedly presented by his adversaries in an opposite light.
He therefore points out to the Ephesians that his chains
served to prove and to declare his calling; and that the
only reason why he had been imprisoned was, that he had
preached the gospel to the Gentiles. His unshaken firmness
was no small additional proof that he had discharged his
office in a proper manner.

The prisoner of Jesus Christ. To strengthen his autho-
rity still more, he speaks in lofty terms of his prison. In the
presence of the world and of wicked men, this might have
appeared to be foolish boasting; but, in addressing godly
persons, it was a dignified and faithful manner. The glory
of Christ not only overcomes the ignominy of the chains, but
converts what was in itself a reproach into the highest honour.
If he had merely said, “I am a prisoner,” this would not
have conveyed the idea of his being an ambassador. Impri-
sonment alone has no claim to this honour, being usually the

1 “ Know that for no other reason am I, Paul, loaded with these chains.

It was for no evil action, but for the love which I bear to the Lord Jesus
Christ.” — Erasmus.

CHAP. III. 3. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 247

mark of wickedness and crime. But the crowns and sceptres
of kings, to say nothing of the imposing splendour of an am-
bassador, are less honourable than the chains of a prisoner
of Jesus Christ. Men might think otherwise, but it is our
duty to judge of the reasons. So highly ought the name of
Christ to be revered by us, that what men consider to be the
greatest reproach, ought to be viewed by us as the greatest
honour.

For you Gentiles. Another circumstance greatly fitted to
interest the Ephesians was, that the persecutions of Paul
were endured for the Gentiles,—that his troubles and dan-
gers were on their account.

2. If ye have heard. There is reason to believe, that,
while Paul was at Ephesus, he had said nothing on these
subjects, no necessity for doing so having arisen; for no
controversy had taken place among them about the calling
of the Gentiles. If he had made any mention of them in
his discourses, he would have reminded the Ephesians of his
former statements, instead of referring generally, as he now
does, tocommon report and to his own Epistle. He did not,
of his own accord, raise unnecessary disputes. It was only
when the wickedness of his adversaries made it necessary,
that he reluctantly undertook the defence of his ministry.
Dispensation (oixovopia) means here a divine order or com-
mand, or, as it is generally expressed, a commission.

3. That by revelation. Some might imagine, that, in at-
tempting to discharge the office of an apostle, he had acted
rashly, and was now paying the penalty of his rashness. It
was this that made him so earnest in pleading the Divine
authority for all his transactions. The present instance, on
account of its novelty, had few supporters ; and therefore he
calls it a mystery. By this name he endeavours to remove
the prejudice which the general displeasure at the event was
fitted to excite. His own personal interest in the matter
was less regarded than that of the Ephesians, who were
deeply concerned in the information, that, through the
settled purpose of God, they had been called by Paul’s mi-
nistry.. Lest what is little known should forthwith become
the object of suspicion, the word mystery places it in opposi-

248 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. III. #.

tion to the perverse judgments and opinions which were then
prevalent in the world.

By revelation he made known to me the mystery. Paul
draws the line of distinction between himself and those fana-
tics, who ascribe to God and to the Holy Spirit their own
idle dreams. The false apostles boast of revelations, but it
is a false boast. Paul was persuaded that his revelation was
true, could prove it to others, and speaks of it as a fact of
which no doubt could be entertained.

As I wrote a little before. This refers either to a rapid
glance at the same subject in the second chapter, or—which
appears to be the general opinion—to another Epistle. If
the former exposition be adopted, it will be proper to trans-
late, as I wrote before in few words ; for the subject had
received nothing more than a passing notice; but the
latter being, as I have said, the prevailing opinion, I prefer
translating, as I wrote a little before. ‘The phrase, (ev
odvyw,) Which Erasmus has translated in a few words, ap-
pears rather to refer to time. On this supposition there
would be an implied comparison between the present and
the former writings. But nothing would be more unlike
the fact, than to contrast them on the score of brevity ; for
a more concise mode of expression than this passing glance
can hardly be imagined. The phrase, a litile before, seems
purposely to be used as an appeal to their remembrance of
a recent occurrence, though I do not insist on this point.
There is more difficulty in the next verse.

4. By attending to which, ye may understand, mpos 0 8v-
vacbe avaywackovtes vonoat. Erasmus renders it, “ from
which things, when ye read, ye may understand.” But to
translate avaywackew te as signifying to read is, I think,
at variance with Greek syntax. I leave it as a subject of
consideration, whether it does not rather signify to attend.
The participle would then be connected with the preposition
mpos, in the commencement of the verse, and the clause
would run thus, to which when ye attend, ye may under-
stand. If, however, by viewing the verb avayiwwcxovtes, as
disjoined from the preposition, you make it signify reading,
the meaning will still be, “by reading you may understand

* CHAP. III. 5. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 249

according to what I have written ;” taking the phrase zpos
0, to which, as equivalent to ca@ 0, according to which ; but
I suggest this merely as a doubtful conjecture.

If we adopt the view which is almost universally approved,
that the apostle had formerly written tothe Ephesians, this
is not the only Epistle which we have lost. And yet there
is no room for the sneers of the ungodly, as if the Scrip-
tures had been mutilated, or in any part had become imper-
fect. If we duly consider Paul’s earnestness,—his watchful-
ness and care,—his zeal and fervour,—his kindness and
readiness in assisting brethren,—we shall be led to regard
it as highly probable that he would write many epistles,
both of a public and private nature, to various places. Those
which the Lord judged to be necessary for his church have
been selected by his providence for everlasting remembrance.
Let us rest assured, that what is left is enough for us, and that
the smallness of the remaining number is not the result of
accident ; but that the body of Scripture, which is in our pos-
session, has been adjusted by the wonderful counsel of God.

My knowledge. The frequent mention of this point shews
the necessity that the calling of ministers should be firmly
believed both by themselves and by their people. But Paul
looks more to others than to himself. He had everywhere
indeed given great offence by preaching the gospel indis-
criminately to Jews and Gentiles, but his solicitude was not
chiefly on his own account. There were not a few who, over-
whelmed by the slanders of wicked men, began to doubt of
his apostleship, and whose faith was consequently shaken.
It was this that induced him so frequently to remind the
Ephesians that he knew the will and command of God who
called him to the oftice—In the mystery of Christ,

5. Which in other ages was not made known. Ue had sim-
ply called it a mystery, but now calls it a mystery of Christ,
because it was necessary that it should remain hidden, until it
was revealed by his coming ; just as the appellation of “ pro-
phecies of Christ” may be given to those which relate to his
kingdom. We must first explain the word mystery, and then
inquire why it is said to have remained unknown in all ages.
The mystery was, “that the Gentiles should be fellow-heirs,

250 COMMENTARIES ON THE CUAP. III. 5.

and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ
by the gospel.” (Verse 6.) When this name is given to the gos-
pel, it has other meanings, which do not apply to the present
passage. The calling of the Gentiles, then, was a “ mystery of
Christ ;” that is, it was to be fulfilled under the reign of Christ.

But why does he affirm that it was not known, when it
had been the subject of so many predictions? The prophets
everywhere declare, that people shall come from every nation
in the world, to worship God ; that an altar shall be erected
both in Assyria and in Egypt, and that all alike shall speak
the language of Canaan. (Isaiah xix. 18.) It is intimated by
these words, that the worship of the true God, and the same
profession of faith, will be everywhere diffused. Of the
Messiah it is predicted, that he shall have dominion from east
to west, and that all nations shall serve him. (Psalm Ixxii,
8,11.) We see also, that many passages to this purpose are
quoted by the apostles, not only from the later prophets,
but from Moses. How could that be hidden which had been
proclaimed by so many heralds? Why are all without ex-
ception pronounced to have been in ignorance? Shall we
say, that the prophets spake what they did not understand,
and uttered sounds without meaning ?

I answer, the words of Paul must not be understood to
mean that there had been no knowledge at all on these
subjects. There had always been some of the Jewish na-
tion who acknowledged that, at the advent of the Messiah,
the grace of God would be proclaimed throughout the
whole world, and who looked forward to the renovation
of the human race. The prophets themselves, though they
spoke with the certainty of revelation, left the time and
manner undetermined. They knew that some communica-
tion of the grace of God would be made to the Gentiles, but
at what time, in what manner, and by what means it should
be accomplished, they had no information whatever. This —
ignorance was exemplified in a remarkable way by the
apostles. They had not only been instructed by the predic-
tions of the prophets, but had heard the distinct statement
of their Master, (John x. 16,) “‘ Other sheep I have which
are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they

CHAP. III. 6. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 251

shall hear my voice: and there shall be one fold and one
shepherd ;’ and yet the novelty of the subject prevented
them from understanding it fully. Nay, after they had re-
ceived the injunction, “Go ve into all the world, and preach
the gospel to every creature,” (Mark xvi. 15,) and, “ Ye shall
be witnesses to me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in
Samaria, and to the uttermost part of the earth,” (Acts 1. 8,)
they dreaded and recoiled from the calling of the Gentiles
as a proposal absolutely monstrous, because the manner of
its accomplishment was still unknown. Before the actual
event arrived, they had dark and confused apprehensions of
our Saviour’s words ; for ceremonies were “a vail over their
face, that they could not steadfastly look to the end of that
which is abolished.” (2 Cor. iii. 13.) With unquestionable
propriety, therefore, does Paul call this a mystery, and say,
that it had been hidden ; for the repeal of the ceremonial law,
which admitted them within the vail, was not understood.

As it is now revealed. To lay claim to information which
none of the patriarchs, prophets, or holy kings, had possessed,
might wear the aspect of arrogance. To guard against this
imputation, Paul reminds them, first, that in this respect he
was not alone, but shared the revelation with the most
eminent teachers of the church ; and, secondly, that it was
the gift of the Holy Spirit, who has a right to bestow it on
whom he pleases; for there is no other limit of our know-
ledge but that which he assigns to us.

These few words, as tt is now revealed, throw additional
light on the admission of the Gentiles to be the people
of God. It is on the condition that they shall be placed
on a level with the Jews, and form one body. That the
novelty might give no offence, he states that this must be
accomplished by the gospel. (Ver. 6.) Now, the gospel
was itself a novelty ; for it had never till now been heard
of, and yet was acknowledged by all the godly to have come
from heaven. Where, then, was the wonder, if, in renewing
the world, God should follow an unwonted method ?

7. Whereof I was made a minister, 7. Cujus factus sum minister, se-
according to the gift of the grace cundum donum gratie Dei, quod
of God given unto me by the effec- mihi datum est secundum efficaciam
tual working of his power. potentize ejus.

252 COMMENTARIES ON THE

8. Unto me, who am less than the
least of all saints, is this grace given,
that I should preach among the
Gentiles the unsearchable riches of
Christ ;

9. And to make all men see
what is the fellowship of the mys-
tery, which from the beginning of
the world hath been hid in God,
who created all things by Jesus
Christ :

10. To the intent that now, unto
the principalities and powers in
heavenly places, might be known by
the church the manifold wisdom of
God,

11. According to the eternal pur-
pose which he purposed in Christ
Jesus our Lord : :

12. In whom we have boldness
and access with confidence by the
faith of him.

13. Wherefore I desire that ye
faint not at my tribulations for you,
which is your glory.

7. Of which I was made a minister.

CHAP. III. 8.

8. Mihi omnium sanctorum mi-
nimo data est gratia hee, ut evan-
gelizem in Gentibus impervestigabi-
les divitias Christi ;

9. Et omnibus conspicuum fa-
ciam, que sit communio mysterii,
quod absconditum fuit a seeculis in
Deo, qui omnia creavit per Iesum
Christum ;

10. Ut nunc patefieret principa-
tibus et potestatibus in ccelestibus
per ecclesiam varie multiplex sapi-
entia Dei,

11. Secundum propositum eter-
num, quod statuit in Christo Tesu
Domino nostro,

12. Per quem habemus audaciam,
et aditum in fiducia, per fidem ejus.

13. Quare peto, ne deficiatis in

afflictionibus meis pro vobis, que
est gloria vestra.

Having declared the

ae to be the instrument employed in communicating g orace
to the Gentiles, he now adds, that he was made a minister
of the Gospel ; and thus applies to himself the general state-
ments which had been made. But, to avoid claiming for
himself more than is proper, he affirms that it is the gift of
the grace of God, and that this gift was an exhibition of
divine power. As if he had said, “ Inquire not what I
have deserved ; for in the free exercise of kindness, the Lord
made me an apostle of the Gentiles, not for any excellence
of mine, but by his own grace. Inquire not what I formerly
was ; for it is the Lord’s prerogative to ‘exalt them of low
degree.” (Luke i. 52.) To produce something great out
of nothing, shews the effectual working of his power.

8. To me, who am the least. He labours to exhibit him-
self, and everything that belongs to him, in as humiliating
a light as possible, in order that the grace of God may be
the more highly exalted. But this acknowledgment had
the additional effect of anticipating the objections which his
adversaries might bring against him. ‘“ Who is this man

CHAP. III. 8. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS, 253

that God should have raised him above all his brethren ?
What superior excellence did he possess that he should be
chosen in preference to all the others?” All such compa-
risons of personal worth are set aside by the confession, that
he was the least of all the saints.

This is no hypocritical declaration. Most men are ready
enough to make professions of feigned humility, while their
minds are swelled with pride, and in words to acknow-
ledge themselves inferior to every one else, while they wish
to be regarded with the highest esteem, and think them-
selves entitled to the highest honour. Paul is perfectly sin-
cere in admitting his unworthiness ; nay, at other times he
speaks of himself in far more degrading language. “ For
I am the least of the apostles, and am not worthy to be
called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.”
(1 Cor. xv. 9.) “ Christ Jesus came into the world to save
sinners, of whom I am chief.” (1 Tim. i. 15.)

But let us observe, that, when he speaks of himself as the
meanest of all, he confines his attention to what he was in
himself, apart from the grace of God. As if he had said,
that his own worthlessness did not prevent him from being
appointed, while others were passed by, to be the apostle of
the Gentiles. The grace of God given to me is the expression
used by him, to intimate that it was a peculiar gift, as com-
pared with what had been bestowed on others. Not that he
alone had been elected to discharge that office, but that he
held the highest rank among “ the teachers of the Gen-
tiles,’—a title which he employs on another occasion as pe-
euliar to himself. “ I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle,
(I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not,) a teacher of the
Gentiles in faith and truth.” (1 Tim. ii. 7.)

By the unsearchable riches of Christ are meant the aston-
ishing and boundless treasures of grace, which God had sud-
denly and unexpectedly bestowed on the Gentiles. The
Ephesians are thus reminded how eagerly the gospel ought
to be embraced, and how highly it ought to be esteemed.
This subject has been treated in the Exposition of the Epistle
to the Galatians, (i. 15, 16; ii. 7,9.) And certainly, while
Paul held the office of apostleship in common with others,

254 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. III. 9.

it was an honour peculiar to himself to be appointed apostle
of the Gentiles.

9. What is the fellowship of the mystery. The publication
of the gospel is called a fellowship, because it is the will of
God that his purpose, which had formerly been hidden, shall
now be shared by men. There is an appropriate. metaphor
in the words dwticae ravtas, to enlighten all men,—convey-
ing the thought, that, in his apostleship, the grace of God
shines with the brightness of noon-day.

Which hath been hid in God. This is intended, as before,
to obviate the prejudice of novelty,—to oppose the rashness
of men, who think it improper that they should remain in
ignorance of anything whatever. Who will question the
right which God has to keep his own purposes concealed,
until he shall be pleased to communicate them to men?
What presumption,—yea, what madness is it, not to admit
that God is wiser than we! Let us remember, therefore, that
our rashness ought to receive a check, whenever the bound-
less height of the Divine foreknowledge is presented to our
view. ‘This, too, is the reason why he calls them the un-
searchable riches of Christ; intimating that this subject,
though it exceeds our capacity, ought to be contemplated
with reverence and admiration.

Who created all things by Jesus Christ. This cannot so
properly be understood of the first creation as of the spiritual
renewal. It is, no doubt, true, and is frequently declared
in Scripture, that by the Word of God all things were created ;
but the connection of the passage lays us under the neces-
sity of understanding by it that renewal which is compre-
hended in the blessing of redemption. But it may, perhaps,
be thought that the apostle is illustrating this renewal, by an
argument drawn from the creation. ‘ By Christ, as God,
the Father created (John i. 8) all things; and why, then,
should we wonder, if by Christ, as Mediator, all the Gentiles
are now brought back to one body?’ I have no objection to
this view. A similar argument is used by him in another
Epistle. ‘“ For God, who commanded the light to shine out
of darkness, is the same who hath shined in our hearts, to
give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the

CHAP. 111. 10. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 255

face of Jesus Christ.” (2 Cor. iv. 6.) From the creation of
the world he concludes, that it is the work of God to en-
lighten the darkness ; but what was visible in the former
case is ascribed to the Spirit, when he comes to speak of the
kingdom of Christ.

10. That now to the principalities and powers. Some are
of opinion that these words cannot apply to angels, because
such ignorance, as is here supposed, could not be found in
those who are permitted to behold the brightness of God’s
countenance. They choose rather to refer them to devils,
but without due reflection ; for what could have been re-
garded as extraordinary in the assertion, that, by the preach-
ing of the gospel and the calling of the Gentiles, information
was, for the first time, conveyed to devils? There can be no
doubt that the apostle labours to place in the strongest light
the mercy of God toward the Gentiles, and the high value of
the gospel. For this purpose he declares, that the preaching
of the gospel exhibits the manifold grace of God, with which,
till now, the heavenly angels themselves were unacquainted.
The wisdom of God, therefore, which was manifested by
uniting Jews and Gentiles in the fellowship of the gospel,
ought to be regarded by men with the highest admiration.

He calls it roAvrolkirov codiav, manifold wisdom, because
men are accustomed to try it by a false standard, confining
their view to a particular department, and thus forming a
most inadequate conception of the whole. The Jews thought,
for example, that the dispensation under the law, with which
they were acquainted and familiar, was the only form in
which the wisdom of God could be seen. But, by making
the gospel to be proclaimed to all men without exception,
God has brought forth to view another instance and proof
of his wisdom. Not that it was new wisdom, but that it was
so large and manifold,’ as to transcend our limited capacity.
Let us rest assured that the knowledge, whatever it may be,
which we have acquired, is, after all, but a slender propor-
tion. And if the calling of the Gentiles draws the attention,

1 « His manifold wisdom, which regulates all things by amazing plans,
through death bestowing life, through ignominy conducting to glory,

through abasement displaying the majesty of God.”—Erasmus.

256 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. 111, 12.

and excites the reverence, of angels in heaven, how shameful
that it should be slighted or disdained by men upon earth!

The inference which some draw from this passage, that
angels are present in our assemblies, and make progress
along with ourselves in knowledge, is a groundless specula-
tion. We must always keep in view the purposes for which
God appointed the ministry of his word. If angels, who are
permitted to see the face of God, do not walk in faith, neither
do they need the outward administration of the word. The
preaching of the gospel, therefore, is of no service but to
human beings, among whom alone the practice exists. Paul’s
meaning is this: “ The church, composed both of Jews and
Gentiles, is a mirror, in which angels behold the astonishing
wisdom of God displayed in a manner unknown to them be-
fore. They see a work which is new to them, and the reason
of which was hid in God. In this manner, and not by learn-
ing anything from the lips of men, do they make progress,”

11. According to the eternal purpose. How carefully does
he guard against the objection, that the purpose of God has
been changed! A third time, he repeats that the decree was
eternal and unchangeable, but must be carried into effect by
Christ Jesus our Lord, because in him it was made. Thus
he declares, that the proper time for publishing this decree
belongs to the kingdom of Christ. Literally the words run,
“ according to the eternal purpose (iv émotnoev) which he
made.” But I consider the meaning to be, which he purposed ;
because the present discussion does not relate solely to the
execution of the decree, but to the appointment itself, which,
though it took place before all ages, was known to God only
—till the manifestation of Christ.

12. Through whom we have boldness. The honour of re-
conciling the Father to the whole world must be given to
Christ. From the effects of this grace its excellence is de-
monstrated ; for faith, which is possessed by Gentiles in
common with Jews, admits them into the presence of God.
When the words, through Christ and by the faith of him, are
used by Paul, in connection with the name of God, there is
always an implied contrast, which shuts up every other ap-
proach,—which excludes every other method of obtaining

Eee

CUAP. It. 12. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. Way

Divine fellowship. Most important and valuable instruction
is here conveyed. The true nature and power of faith, and
the confidence which is necessary for calling upon God, are
beautifully expressed. That the consequences of faith, and
the duties which it performs, should be the subject of much
controversy between us and the Papists, is not surprising.
They do not properly understand the meaning of the word
Faith, which they might learn from this passage, if they were
not blinded by prejudice.

First, Paul denominates it the faith of Christ ; by which
he intimates, that everything which faith ought to contem-
plate is exhibited to us in Christ. Hence it follows, that an
empty and confused knowledge of Christ must not be mis-
taken for Faith, but that knowledge which is directed to
Christ, in order to seek God in Christ ; and this can only be
done when the power and offices of Christ are understood.
Faith produces confidence, which again, in its turn, produces
boldness. There are three stages in our progress. First, we
believe the promises of God ; next, by relying on them, we
obtain that conjidence, which is accompanied by holiness
and peace of mind; and, last of all, comes boldness, which
enables us to banish fear, and to come with firmness and
steadiness into the presence of God.

To separate faith from confidence would be an attempt to
take away heat and light from the sun. I acknowledge,
indeed, that, in proportion to the measure of faith, confidence
is small in some and greater in others ; but faith will never
be found unaccompanied by these effects or fruits. A trem-
bling, hesitating, doubting conscience, will always be a sure
evidence of unbelief ; but a firm, steady faith, will prove to
be invincible against the gates of hell. To trust in Christ
as Mediator, and to entertain a firm conviction of our hea-
venly Father’s love,—to venture boldly to promise to our-
selves eternal life, and not to tremble at death or hell,—is,
to use a common phrase, a holy presumption.

Observe the expression, access with confidence. Wicked
men seek rest in forgetfulness of God, and are never at ease
but when they remove to the greatest possible distance from
God. His own children differ from them in this respect,

R

258 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. 1il. 13;
that they “ have peace with God,” (Rom. v. 1,) and approach
to him with cheerfulness and delight. We infer, likewise,
from this passage, that, in order to call on God in a proper
manner, confidence is necessary, and thus becomes the key
that opens to us the gate of heaven. Those who doubt and
hesitate will never be heard. ‘“ Let him ask in faith,” says
James, ‘‘ nothing wavering: for he that wavereth is like a
wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let
not that man think that he shall receive anything of the
Lord.” (James i. 6, 7.) The sophists of the Sorbonne,
when they enjoin men to hesitate, know not what it is to
call upon God.

13. Wherefore I desire. His reason for alluding formerly
to his imprisonment is now manifest. It was to prevent
them from being discouraged when they heard of his perse-
cution.” O heroic breast, which drew from a prison, and
from death itself, comfort to those who were not in danger!
He says that he endured tribulatzons for the Ephesians, be-
cause they tended to promote the edification of all the godly.
How powerfully is the faith of the people confirmed, when a
pastor does not hesitate to seal his doctrine by the surrender
of his life! And accordingly he adds, which is your glory.
Such lustre was thrown around his instructions, that all the
churches among whom he had laboured, had good reason to
glory, when they beheld their faith ratified by the best of
all pledges.

14. For this cause I bow my knees
unto the Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ,

15. Of whom the whole family in
heaven and earth is named,

16. That he would grant you,
according to the riches of his glory,
to be strengthened with might by his
Spirit in the inner man ;

17. That Christ may dwell in
your hearts by faith ; that ye, being
rooted and grounded in love,

18. May be able to comprehend

? See note, p. 160.

267

14. Hujus rei gratia flecto genua
ad Patrem Domini nostri Iesu
Christi,

15. Ex quo omnis cognatio in
ceelis et super terram nominatur,

16. Ut det vobis secundum divi-
tias glorie sue, potentia roborari
per Spiritum suum in hominem in-
teriorem,

17.. Ut inhabitet Christus per
fidem in cordibus vestris, ut sitis in
charitate radicati atque fundati,

18. Quo valeatis comprehendere

he original word ?zxa«x<iv signifies « to behave like a coward, and

through fear to desert the post of battle.’””—Chandler.

CHAP. 117. 15. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 259

with all saints what is the breadth, cum omnibussanctis, que sit latitudo,
and length, and depth, and height; —_ et longitudo, et profunditas, et alti-
tudo;

19. And to know the love of 19. Cognoscere, inquam, dilectio-
Christ, which passeth knowledge, nem Christi, que cognitionem ex-
that ye might be filled with all the superat, ut completi sitis m omnem
fulness of God. plenitudinem Dei.

14. For this cause. His prayers for them are mentioned,
not only to testify his regard for them, but likewise to excite
them to pray in the same manner ; for the seed of the word
is scattered in vain, unless the Lord render it fruitful by his
blessing. Let pastors learn from Paul’s example, not only
to admonish and exhort their people, but to entreat the
Lord to bless their labours, that they may not be unfruitful.
Nothing will be gained by their industry and toil,—all their
study and application will be to no purpose, except so far as
the Lord bestows his blessing. This ought not to be regarded
by them as an encouragement to sloth. It is their duty, on
the contrary, to labour earnestly in sowing and watering,
provided they, at the same time, ask and expect the increase
from the Lord.

We are thus enabled to refute the slanders of the Pelagians
and Papists, who argue, that, if the grace of the Holy Spirit
performs the whole work of enlightening our minds, and
forming our hearts to obedience, all instruction will be su-
perfluous. The only effect of the enlightening and renewing
influences of the Holy Spirit is, to give to instruction its
proper weight and efficacy, that we may not be blind to the
light of heaven, or deaf to the strains of truth. While the
Lord alone acts upon us, he acts by his own instruments. It
is therefore the duty of pastors diligently to teach,—of the
people, earnestly to receive instruction,—and of both, not to
weary themselves in unprofitable exertions, but to look up
for Divine aid.

I bow my knees. The bodily attitude is here put for the
religious exercise itself. Not that prayer, in all cases, re-
quires the bending of the knees, but because this expression
of reverence is commonly employed, especially where it is
not an incidental petition, but a continued prayer.

15. Of whom the whole family. The relative, é& ov, of

? « This seems to me plainly to allude, and to be urged in opposition to

260 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP, 111. 16.

whom, may apply equally to the Father and to the Son.

Erasmus restricts it entirely to the Father. I do not approve —

of this ; for readers ought to have been allowed a liberty of
choice ; nay, the other interpretation appears to be far more
probable. The apostle alludes to that relationship which
the Jews had with each other, through their father Abraham,
to whom they trace their lineage. He proposes, on the con-
trary, to remove the Cistinction between Jews and Gentiles ;
and tells them, not only that all men have been brought
into one family and one race through Christ, but that they
are enabled to claim kindred even with angels.

To apply it to God the Father would not be equally de-
fensible, being lable to this obvious exception, that God
formerly passed by the Gentiles, and adopted the Jews as
his peculiar people. But when we apply it to Christ, the
whole of Paul’s statement agrees with the facts; for all
come and blend together, as one family, and, related to one
God the Father, are mutually brethren. Let us therefore
understand that, through the mediation of Christ, a relation-
ship has been constituted between Jews and Gentiles, be-
cause, by reconciling us to the Father, he has made us all
one. Jews have no longer any reason to boast that they are
the posterity of Abraham, or that they belong to this or that
tribe,—to despise others as profane, and claim the exclusive
honour of being a holy people. There is but one relationship
which ought to be reckoned, both in heaven and on earth,
both among angels and among men—a union to the body
of Christ. Out of him all will be found scattered. He alone
is the bond by which we are united.

16. That he would give to you. Paul wishes that the Ephe-

Diana of Ephesus, who was the common goddess of the Asiatic cities, in

whose worship they were united, and by whose common contributions her
temple was built, which was the common temple of those incorporated
cities, so that all Asia (as we have it, Acts xix. 27) ‘ worshipped her ;’
which was therefore strictly and properly her family, over which she pre-
sided as the common mother and patroness; and there are models and an-
cient inscriptions remaining to this day, that abundantly prove it. Now
the apostle tells these Ephesians, that, as Christians, they belonged to a
nobler family, which took its denomination from, and was immediately
subject to, God as a common Father; of whom the whole family in heaven
and earth is named.”—Chandler.

ee ee

;
a.

CHAP. T11. 17. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 261

sians should be strengthened ; and yet he had already bestow-
ed on their piety no mean commendation. But. believers
have never advanced so far as not to need farther growth.
The highest perfection of the godly in this life is an earnest
desire to make progress. This strengthening, he tells us, is
the work of the Spirit ; so that it does not proceed from
man’s own ability. The increase, as well as the commence-
ment, of everything good in us, comes from the Holy Spirit.
That it is the gift of Divine grace, is evident from the ex-
pression used, that he would give to you. This the Papists
utterly deny. They maintain that the second grace is be-
stowed upon us, according as we have individually deserved
it, by making a proper use of the fist grace. But let us
unite with Paul in acknowledging that it is the “ gift” of
the grace of God, not only that we have begun to run well,
but that we advance; not only that we have been born
again, but that we grow from day to day.

According to the riches of his glory. These words are in-
tended to express still more strongly the doctrine of Divine
grace. They may be explained in two ways: either, accord-
ing to his glorious riches, making the genitive, agreeably to
the Hebrew idiom, supply the place of an adjective,—or,
according to his rich and abundant glory. The word glory
will thus be put for mercy, in accordance with an expression
which he had formerly used, “ to the praise of the glory of
his grace.” (Eph. i. 6.) I prefer the latter view.

In the inner man. By the inner man, Paul means the
soul, and whatever relates to the spiritual life of the soul ;
as the outward man denotes the body, with everything that
belongs to it,—health, honours, riches, vigour, beauty, and
everything of that nature. “ Though our outward man
perish, yet our inward man is renewed day by day ;’ that
is, if in worldly matters we decay, our spiritual life becomes
more and more vigorous. (2 Cor. iv. 16.) The prayer of
Paul, that the saints may be strengthened, does not mean
that they may be eminent and flourishing in the world, but
that, with respect to the kingdom of God, their minds may
be made strong by Divine power.

17. That Christ may dwell. We explains what is meant

262 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. 111. 17.

by “the strength of the inner man.” As “ it pleased the
Father that in him should all fulness dwell,” (Col. i. 19,) so
he who has Christ dwelling in him can want nothing. It is
a mistake to imagine that the Spirit can be obtained without
obtaining Christ ; and it is equally foolish and absurd to
dream that we can receive Christ without the Spirit. Both
doctrines must be believed. We are partakers of the Holy
Spirit, in proportion to the intercourse which we maintain
with Christ ; for the Spirit will be found nowhere but in
Christ, on whom he is said, on that account, to have rested ;
for he himself says, by the prophet Isaiah, “ The Spirit of
the Lord God is upon me.” (Isa. lxi. 1; Luke iv. 18.) But
neither can Christ be separated from his Spirit ; for then he
would be said to be dead, and to have lost all his power.

Justly, therefore, does Paul affirm that the persons who
are endowed by God with spiritual vigour are those in whom
Christ dwells. He points to that part in which Christ pe-
culiarly dwells, in your hearts,—to show that it is not enough
if the knowledge of Christ dwell on the tongue or flutter in
the brain.

May dwell through faith. The method by which so great
a benefit is obtained is also expressed. What a remarkable
commendation is liere bestowed on faith, that, by means of
it, the Son of God becomes our own, and “ makes his abode
with us!” (John xiv. 23.) By faith we not only acknow-
ledge that Christ suffered and rose from the dead on our
account, but, accepting the offers which he makes of himself,
we possess and enjoy himas our Saviour. This deserves our
careful attention. Most people consider fellowship with
Christ, and believing in Christ, to be the same thing; but
the fellowship which we have with Christ is the consequence
of faith. In a word, faith is not a distant view, but a warm
embrace, of Christ, by which he dwells in us, and we are
filled with the Divine Spirit.

That ye may be rooted and grounded in love. Among the
fruits of Christ’s dwelling in us the apostle enumerates love
and gratitude for the Divine grace and kindness exhibited
to us in Christ. Hence it follows, that this is true and solid
excellence ; so that, whenever he treats of the perfection of

CUAP. IIL. 19. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS, 263

the saints, he views it as consisting of these two parts. The
firmness and constancy which our love ought to possess are
pointed out by two metaphors. There are many persons not
wholly destitute of love ; but it is easily removed or shaken,
because its roots are not deep. Paul desires that it should
be rooted’ and grounded,—thoroughly fixed in our minds, so
as to resemble a well-founded building or deeply-planted
tree. The true meaning is, that our roots ought to be so
deeply planted, and our foundation so firmly laid in love,
that nothing will be able to shake us. It is idle to infer
from these words, that love is the foundation and root of our
salvation. Paul does not inquire here, as any one may per-
ceive, on what our salvation is founded, but with what firm-
ness and constancy we ought to continue in the exercise of
love.

18. May be able to comprehend. The second fruit is, that
the Ephesians should perceive the greatness of Christ’s love
to men. Such an apprehension or knowledge springs from
faith. By desiring that they should comprehend it with all
saints, he shows that it is the most excellent blessing which
they can obtain in the present life; that it is the highest
wisdom, to which all the children of God aspire. What fol-
lows is sufficiently clear in itself, but has hitherto been
darkened by a variety of interpretations. Augustine is quite
delighted with his own acuteness, which throws no light on
the subject. Endeavouring to discover some kind of myste-
rious allusion to the figure of the cross, he makes the breadth
to be love,—the height, hope,—the length, patience,—and the
depth, humility. This is very ingenious and entertaining:
but what has it to do with Paul’s meaning? Not more, cer-
tainly, than the opinion of Ambrose, that the allusion is to
the figure of a sphere. Laying aside the views of others, I
shall state what will be universally acknowledged to be the
simple and true meaning.

19. And to know the love of Christ. By those dimensions

* “ Meaning (by a continuation of the same architectural metaphor) that
‘the love shouldbe deep and sincere ;’ and though 2/f:geévas be properly ap-
plicable to trees, yet it was sometimes used of the foundations of massy edi-
fices ; in which case, however, it is in the classical writers almost always ac-
companied with some word which has reference to buildings.” —Bloomfield,

264 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. 111. 19;

Paul means nothing else than the love of Christ, of which
he speaks afterwards. The meaning is, that he who knows
it fully and perfectly is in every respect a wise man. As
if he had said, “ In whatever direction men may look, they
will find nothing in the doctrine of salvation that does not
bear some relation to this subject.” The love of Christ con-
tains within itself the whole of wisdom, so that the words
may run thus: that ye may be able to comprehend the love of
Christ, which is the length and breadth, and depth, and height,
that is, the complete perfection of all wisdom. The meta-
phor is borrowed from mathematicians, taking the parts as
expressive of the whole. Almost all men are infected with
the disease of desiring to obtain useless knowledge. It is of
ereat importance that we should be told what is necessary
for us to know, and what the Lord desires us to contemplate,
above and below, on the right hand and on the left, before
and behind. The love of Christ is held out to us as the
subject which ought to occupy our daily and nightly medi-
tations, and in which we ought to be wholly plunged. He
who is in possession of this alone has enough. Beyond it
there is nothing solid, nothing useful,—nothing, in short,
that is proper or sound. Though you survey the heaven and
earth and sea, you will never go beyond this without over-
stepping the lawful boundary of wisdom.

Which surpasseth knowledge. A similar expression occurs
in another Epistle: “the peace of God, which surpasseth all
understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through
Christ Jesus.” (Philip. iv. 7.) No man can approach to God
without being raised above himself and above the world.
On this ground the sophists refuse to admit that we can
know with certainty that we enjoy the grace of God; for
they measure faith by the perception of the bodily senses.
But Paul justly contends that this wisdom exceeds all know-
ledge ; for, if the faculties of man could reach it, the prayer
of Paul that God would bestow it must have been unneces-
sary. Let us remember, therefore, that the certainty of
faith is knowledge, but is acquired by the teaching of
the Holy Spirit, not by the acuteness of our own intel-
lect. If the reader desire a more full discussion of this

es

ee -_ -— = ~

: al

CHAP. 111. 20. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 265
subject, he may consult the “ Institutes of the Christian
Religion.”

That ye may be filled. Paul now expresses in one word
what he meant by the various dimensions. He who has
Christ has everything necessary for being made perfect in
God; for this is the meaning of the phrase, the fulness of
God. Men do certainly imagine that they have entire com-
pleteness in themselves, but it is only when their pride is
swelled with empty trifles. It isa foolish and wicked dream,
that by the fulness of God is meant the full Godhead, as if
men were raised to an equality with God.

20. Now unto him that is able to 20. Ei autem, qui potest cumu-

do exceeding abundantly above all
that we ask or think, according to
the power that worketh in us,

21. Unto him be glory in the
church by Christ Jesus throughout

late super omnia facere, que peti-
mus aut cogitamus, secundum po-
tentiam in nobis agentem,

21. Sit gloria in Ecclesia per Ie-
sum Christum, in omnes etates se-

all ages, world without end. Amen. culi seculorum. Amen.

20. Now to him. He now breaks out into thanksgiving,
which serves the additional purpose of exhorting the Ephe-
sians to maintain “good hope through grace,” (2 Thess. ii.
16,) and to endeavour constantly to obtain more and more
adequate conceptions of the value of the grace of God.

Who ws able This refers to the future, and agrees with
what we are taught concerning hope ; and indeed we cannot
offer to God proper or sincere thanksgivings for favours re-
ceived, unless we are convinced that his goodness to us will
be without end. When he says that God is able, he does
not mean power viewed apart, as the phrase is, from the act,
but power which is exerted, and which we actually feel.
Believers ought always to connect it with the work, when
the promises made to them, and their own salvation, form
the subject of inquiry. Whatever God can do, he unques-
tionably will do, if he has promised it. This the apostle
proves both by former instances, and by the eflicacy of the
Spirit, which was at this very time exerted on their own

- minds.

1 « Blessed are they that hunger and thitst for righteousness, for they
shall be satisfied. He that hungereth, let him hunger more; and he that
desireth, let him still more abundantly desire; for all that he can desire he
shall fully obtain.’”—— Bernard.

266 COMMENTARIES ON THE cuap. iv. 1].

According to the power that worketh in ws,—according to
what we feel within ourselves ; for every benefit which God
bestows upon us is a manifestation of his grace, and love,
and power, in consequence of which we ought to cherish a
stronger confidence for the future. Haceeding abundantly
above all that we ask or think, is a remarkable expression,
and bids us entertain no fear lest faith of a proper kind
should go to excess. Whatever expectations we form of
Divine blessings, the infinite goodness of God will exceed

all our wishes and all our thoughts.

CHAPTER IV.

1. Obsecro itaque vos, egp vine-
tus in Domino, ut digné ambuletis
vocatione, ad quam vocati estis,

1. I therefore, the prisoner of the
Lord,) beseech you, that ye walk
worthy of the vocation wherewith
ye are called,

2. With all lowliness and meek-
ness, with long-suffering, forbearing
one another in love; tes vos invicem in dilectione,

3. Endeavouring to keep the 3. Studentes servare unitatem
unity of the Spirit in the bond of Spiritus, in vinculo pacis.
peace.

4. There is one body, and one
Spirit, even as ye are called in one
hope of your calling ;

2. Cum omni humilitate et man-
suetudine, cum tolerantia sufferen-

4. Unum corpus et unus spiritus ;
quemadmodum vocati estis In una
spe vocationis vestre.

5. One Lord, one faith, one bap- 5.

tism,

6. One God and Father of all,
who is above all, and through all,
and in you all.

Unus Dominus, una fides,
unum baptisma.

6. Unus Deus et Pater omnium,
qui est super omnia, et per omnia,
(vel, super onnes et per omnes,) et in

omnibus vobis.

The three remaining chapters consist entirely of practical
exhortations. Mutual agreement is the first subject, in the
course of which a discussion is introduced respecting the
government of the church, as having been framed by our
Lord for the purpose of maintaining unity among Christians.

1. I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord. His imprison-
ment, which might have been supposed more likely to ren-
der him despised, is appealed to, as we have already scen,
for a confirmation of his*authority. It was the seal of that
embassy with which he had been honoured. Whatever be-
longs to Christ, though in the eyes of men it may be attended

CHAP. IV. 3. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 267

by ignominy, ought to be viewed by us with the highest
regard. The apostle’s prison is more truly venerable than
the splendid retinue or triumphal chariot of kings.

That ye maywalk worthy. This isa general sentiment, a sort
of preface, on which all the following statements are founded.
He had formerly illustrated the calling with which they were
called,’ and now reminds them that they must live in obe-
dience to God, in order that they may not be unworthy of
such distinguished grace.

2. With all humility. He now descends to particulars,
and first of all he mentions humility. The reason is, that
he was about to enter on the subject of Unity, to which hu-
mility is the first step. This again produces meekness, which
disposes us to bear with our brethren, and thus to preserve
that unity which would otherwise be broken a hundred times
ina day. Let us remember, therefore, that, in cultivating
brotherly kindness, we must begin with humility. Whence
come rudeness, pride, and disdainful language towards bre-
thren? Whence come quarrels, insults, and reproaches ?
Come they not from this, that every one carries his love of
himself, and his regard to his own interests, to excess? By
laying aside haughtiness and a desire of pleasing ourselves,
we shall become meek and gentle, and acquire that moder-
ation of temper which will overlook and forgive many
things in the conduct of our brethren. Let us carefully
observe the order and arrangement of these exhortations.
It will be to no purpose that we inculcate forbearance till
the natural fierceness has been subdued, and mildnegs ac-
quired ; and it will be equally vain to discourse of meekness,
till we have begun with humility.

Forbearing one another in love. This agrees with what is
elsewhere taught, that “love suffereth long and is kind.”
(Lt Cor. xii. 4.) Where love is strong and prevalent, we shall
perform many acts of mutual forbearance.

3. Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit. With

1 Tis xAnoews ns txanédnre.) © Arrian, Epict. p. 122, 1. 3, says, xarooyv-
vey THY KARoW hy xExannev, *to disgrace the calling with which he has called
thee.’ He is speaking of a person, who, when summoned to give his tes-

timony, utters what is contrary to that which was demanded or expected
from him.”—Raphelius.

268 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. 1V, 4,

good reason does he recommend forbearance, as tending to
promote the unity of the Spirit. Innumerable offences arise
daily, which might produce quarrels, particularly when we
consider the extreme bitterness of man’s natural temper.
Some consider the unity of the Spirit to mean that spiritual
unity which is produced in us by the Spirit of God. There
can be no doubt that He alone makes us “of one accord, of
one mind,” (Phil. ii. 2,) and thus makes us one; but I think
it more natural to understand the words as denoting har-
mony of views. This unity, he tells us, is maintained by
the bond of peace ; for disputes frequently give rise to hatred
and resentment. We must live at peace, if we would wish
that brotherly kindness should be permanent amongst us.

4. There is one body.’ He proceeds to shew more fully
in how complete a manner Christians ought to be united.
The union ought to be such that we shall form one body and
one soul. These words denote the whole man, We ought
to be united, not in part only, but in body and soul. He
supports this by a powerful argument, as ye have been called
in one hope of your calling. We are called to one inheri-
tance and one life; and hence it follows, that we cannot
obtain eternal life without living in mutual harmony in this
world. One Divine invitation being addressed to all, they
ought to be united in the same profession of faith, and to
render every kind of assistance to each other. Oh, were this
thought deeply impressed upon our minds, that we are sub-
ject to a law which no more permits the children of God to
differ among themselves than the kingdom of heaven to be
divided, how earnestly should we cultivate brotherly kind-
ness! How should we dread every kind of animosity, if we
duly reflected that all who separate us from brethren,
estrange us from the kingdom of God! And yet, strangely
enough, while we forget the duties which brethren owe to
each other, we go on boasting that we are the sons of God.
Let us learn from Paul, that none are at all fit for that in-
heritance who are not one body and one spirit.

1 «There are ancient medals now extant, which have the figure of
Diana on them, with this inscription, xovéy rs ’Avizs, denoting that the
cities of Asia were one body or commonwealth. Thus also were all Chris-
tians of all nations, Jews and Gentiles, under Christ.”—Chandler.

*

CHAP. IV. 6. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 269

5. One Lord. In the first Epistle to the Corinthians, he
employs the word Lord, to denote simply the government of
God. ‘There are differences of administration, but the
same Lord.” (1 Cor. xii. 5.) In the present instance, as he
shortly afterwards makes express mention of the Father,
he gives this appellation strictly to Christ, who has been
appointed by the Father to be our Lord, and to whose go-
vernment we cannot be subject, unless we are of one mind.
The frequent repetition of the word one is emphatic. Christ
cannot be divided. J azth cannot be rent. There are not
various baptisms, but one which is common to all. God can-
not cease to be one, and unchangeable. It cannot but be our
duty to cherish holy unity, which is bound by so many ties.
Faith, and baptism, and God the Father, and Christ, ought
‘to unite us, so as almost to become one man. All these
arguments for unity deserve to be pondered, but cannot
be fully explained. I reckon it enough to take a rapid
glance at the apostle’s meaning, leaving the full illustration
of it to the preachers of the gospel. The unity of /farth,
which is here mentioned, depends on the one, eternal truth
of God, on which it is founded.

One baptism. This does not mean that Christian bap-
tism is not to be administered more than once, but that one
baptism is common to all; so that, by means of it, we begin
to form one body and one soul. But if that argument has
any force, a much stronger one will be founded on the truth,
that the Father, and Son, and Spirit, are one God ; for it is
one baptism, which is celebrated in the name of the Three
Persons. What reply will the Arians or Sabellians make to
this argument? Baptism possesses such force as to make
us one ; and in baptism, the name of the Father, and of the
Son, and of the Spirit, is invoked. Will they deny that one
Godhead is the foundation of this holy and mysterious
unity ? We are compelled to acknowledge, that the ordi-
nance of baptism proves the existence of Three Persons in
one Divine essence.

6. One God and Father of all. This is the main argument,
from which all the rest flow. How comes it that we are
united by faith, by baptism, or even by the government of

270 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. IV. 6.
Christ, but because God the Father, extending to each of
us his gracious presence, employs these means for gathering
us to himself? The two phrases, éri ravtov Kat dua TavTor,
may either mean, above all and through all rHtNas, or above
all and through all Mey. Either meaning will apply suffi-
ciently well, or rather, in both cases, the meaning will be
the same. Although God by his power upholds, and main-
tains, and rules, all things, yet Paul is not now speaking of
the universal, but of the spiritual government which be-
longs to the church. By the Spirit of sanctification, God
spreads himself through all the members of the church,
embraces all in his government, and dwells in all; but God
is not inconsistent with himself, and therefore we cannot
but be united to him into one body.

This spiritual unity is mentioned by our Lord. “Holy
Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou
hast given me, that they may be one as we are.” (John
xvil. 11.) This is true indeed, in a general sense, not only
of all men but of all creatures. “In him we live, and move,
and have our being.” (Acts xvii. 28.) And again, “Do
not I fill heaven and earth, saith the Lord?’ (Jer. xxiii.
24.) But we must attend to the connection in which this
passage stands, Paul is now illustrating the mutual rela-
tion of believers, which has nothing in common either with
wicked men or with inferior animals. To this relation we
must limit what is said about God’s government and pre-
sence. It is for this reason, also, that the apostle uses the
word Father, which applies only to the members of Christ.

7. But unto every one of us is 7. Unicuique autem nostrum data

given grace according to the mea-
sure of the gift of Christ.

8. Wherefore he saith, When he
ascended up on high, he led captivity
captive, and gave gifts unto men.

9. (Now that he ascended, what
is it but that he also descended first
into the lower parts of the earth?

10. He that descended is the
same also that ascended up far
above all heavens, that he might
fill all things.)

est gratia; secundum mensuram do-
nationis Christi.

8. Propterea dicit: Postquam
ascendit in altum, captivam duxit
captivitatem, et dedit dona homini-
bus. (Ps. Ixviii. 19.)

9. Illud autem Ascendit, quid est,
nisi quod etiam descenderat; prius in
inferiores partes terre ?

10. Qui descendit, ipse est etiam
qui ascendit super omnes ccelos, ut
impleret omnia.

a a ee

:

OHAP. Iv. 8. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. ae |

7. But to every one. He now describes the manner in
which God establishes and preserves among us a mutual re-
lation. No member of the body of Christ is endowed with
such perfection as to be able, without the assistance of
others, to supply his own necessities. A certain proportion
is allotted to each ; and it is only by communicating with
each other, that all enjoy what is sufficient for maintaining
their respective places in the body. The diversity of gifts
is discussed in another Epistle, and very nearly with the
same object. “There are diversities of gifts, but the same
Spirit.” (1 Cor. xii. 4) Such a diversity, we are there
taught, is so far from injuring, that it tends to promote and
strengthen, the harmony of believers.

The meaning of this verse may be thussummedup. “On
no one has God bestowed all things. Each has received a
certain measure. Being thus dependent on each other, they
find it necessary to throw their individual gifts into the
common stock, and thus to render mutual aid.” The words
grace and gift remind us that, whatever may be our attain-
ments, we ought not to be proud of them, because they lay
us under deeper obligations to God. These blessings are
said to be the gift of Christ; for, as the apostle, first of all,
mentioned the Father, so his aim, as we shall see, is to re-
present all that we are, and all that we have, as gathered
together in Christ.

8. Therefore he saith. To serve the purpose of his argu-
ment, Paul has departed not a little from the true meaning
of this quotation. Wicked men charge him with having made
an unfair use of Scripture. The Jews go still farther, and,
for the sake of giving to their accusations a greater air of
plausibility, maliciously pervert the natural meaning of this
passage. What is said of God, is applied by them to David
or to the people. “David, or the people,” they say, “as-
cended on high, when, in consequence of many victories,
they rose superior to their enemies.” But a careful exami-
nation of the Psalm will convince any reader that the words,
he ascended up on high, are applied strictly to God alone.

The whole Psalm may be regarded as an ézuvixov, a song
of triumph, which David sings to God on account of the vic-

272 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. IV. 8.

tories which he had obtained ; but, taking occasion from the
narrative of his own exploits, he makes a passing survey of
the astonishing deliverances which the Lord had formerly
wrought for his people. Tis object is to shew, that we ought
to contemplate in the history of the Church the glorious
power and goodness of God; and among other things he
says, Thou hast ascended on high. (Ps. xviii. 18.) The flesh
is apt to imagine that God remains idle and asleep, when
he does not openly execute his judgments. To the view of
men, when the Church is oppressed, God is in some manner
humbled; but, when he stretches out his avenging arm for
her deliverance, he then appears to rouse himself, and to
ascend his throne of judgment. ‘Then the Lord awaked as
one out of sleep, and like a mighty man that shouteth by
reason of wine. And he smote his enemies in the hinder
parts; he put them to a perpetual reproach.” (Ps. Ixxviu.
65, 66.) This mode of expression is sufficiently common
and familiar; and, in short, the deliverance of the Church
is here called the ascension of God.

Perceiving that it is a song of triumph, in which David
celebrates all the victories which God had wrought for the
salvation of his Church, Paul very properly quoted the
account given of God’s ascension, and applied it to the per-
son of Christ. The noblest triumph which God ever gained
was when Christ, after subduing sin, conquering death, and
putting Satan to flight, rose majestically to heaven, that he
might exercise his glorious reign over the Church. Hitherto
there is no ground for the objection, that Paul has applied
this quotation in a manner inconsistent with the design of
the Psalmist. The continued existence of the Church is
represented by David to be a manifestation of the Divine
glory. But no ascension of God more triumphant or me-
morable will ever occur, than that which took place when
Christ was carried up to the right hand of the Father, that
he might rule over all authorities and powers, and might
become the everlasting guardian and protector of his people.

He led captivity captive. Captivity is a collective noun
for captive enemies; and the plain meaning is, that God
reduced his enemies to subjection, which was more fully

Ss

CHAP. Iv. 8. EPISTLE TO THE EPHFSIANS, 273

accomplished in Christ than in any other way. Tle hag not
only gained a complete victory over the devil, and sin, and
death, and all the power of hell,-—but out of rebels he forms
every day a willing people,” (Ps. cx. 3,) when he subdues by
his word the obstinacy of our flesh. On the other hand, his
enemies—to which class all wicked men belong—are held
bound by chains of iron, and are restrained by his power from
exerting their fury beyond the limits which he shall assign.

And gave gifts to men. There is rather more difficulty
in this clause; for the words of the Psalm are, “thou hast
received gifts for men,” while the apostle changes this ex-
pression into gave gifts, and thus appears to exhibit an
opposite meaning. Still there is no absurdity here; for
Paul does not always quote the exact words of Scripture,
but, after referring to the passage, satisfies himself with
conveying the substance of it in his own language. Now,
it is clear that the gifts which David mentions were not
received by God for himself, but for his people; and accord-
ingly we are told, in an earlier part of the Psalm, that “ the
spoil” had been “divided” among the families of Israel.
(Ps. Ixviii. 12.) Since therefore the intention of receiving was
to give gifts, Paul can hardly be said to have departed from
the substance, whatever alteration there may be in the words.

At the same time, I am inclined to a different opinion,
that Paul purposely changed the word, and employed it, not
as taken out of the Psalm, but as an expression of his own,
adapted to the present occasion. Having quoted from the
Psalm a few words descriptive of Christ’s ascension, he adds,
in his own language, and gave gifts,—for the purpose of
drawing a comparison between the greater and the less.
Paul intends to shew, that this ascension of God in the
person of Christ was far more illustrious than the ancient
triumphs of the Church; because it is a more honourable
distinction for a conqueror to dispense his bounty largely to
all classes, than to gather spoils from the vanquished.

The interpretation given by some, that Christ received
from the Father what he would distribute to us, is forced,
and utterly at variance with the apostle's purpose. No
solution of the difficulty, in my opinion, is more natural

s

274 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. Iv. 9.

than this. Having made a brief quotation from the Psalm,
Paul took the liberty of adding a statement, which, though
not contained in the Psalm, is true in reference to Christ—
a statement, too, by which the ascension of Christ is proved
to be more illustrious, and more worthy of admiration, than
those ancient manifestations of the Divine glory which
David enumerates.

9. Now that he ascended. Here again the slanderers
exclaim, that Paul’s reasoning is trifling and childish.
‘““Why does he attempt to make those words apply to a real
ascension of Christ, which were figuratively spoken about a
manifestation of the Divine glory? Who does not know
that the word ascend is metaphorical? The conclusion, that
he also descended first, has therefore no weight.”

I answer, Paul does not here reason in the manner of a logi-
cian, as to what necessarily follows, or may be inferred, from
the words of the prophet. He knew that what David spake
about God’s ascension was metaphorical. But neither can it
be denied, that the expression bears a reference to some kind
of humiliation on the part of God which had previously existed.
It is this humiliation which Paul justly infers from the de-
claration that God had ascended. And at what time did God
descend lower than when Christ emptied himself? (AN
éavtov é€xévwce, Phil.ii. 7.) If ever there was a time when,
after appearing to lay aside the brightness of his power, God
ascended gloriously, it was when Christ was raised from our
lowest condition on earth, and received into heavenly glory.

Besides, it is not necessary to inquire very carefully into
the literal exposition of the Psalm, since Paul merely alludes
to the prophet’s words, in the same manner as, on another
occasion, he accommodates to his own subject a passage
taken from the writings of Moses. “The righteousness
which is of faith speaketh in this manner, Say not in thine
heart, who shall ascend into heaven ? (that is, to bring Christ
down from above;) or, who shall descend into the deep?
(that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.”) (Rom. x.
6, 7; Deut.xxx.12.) But the appropriateness of the appli-
cation which Paul makes of the passage to the person of
Christ is not the only ground on which it must be defended.

CHAP. IV. 10. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 275

Sufficient evidence is afforded by the Psalm itself, that this
ascription of praise relates to Christ’s kingdom. Not to
mention other reasons which might be urged, it contains a
distinct prophecy of the calling of the Gentiles.

Into the lower parts of the earth These words mean
nothing more than the condition of the present life. To
torture them so as to make them mean purgatory or hell, is
exceedingly foolish. The argument taken from the compa-
rative degree, “the lower parts,” is quite untenable. A com-
parison is drawn, not between one part of the earth and
another, but between the whole earth and heaven; as if
he had said, that from that lofty habitation Christ descended
into our deep gulf.

10. That ascended up far above all heavens ; that is, beyond
this created world. When Christ is said to be in heaven, we
must not view him as dwelling among the spheres and num-
bering the stars. Heaven denotes a place higher than all
the spheres, which was assigned to the Son of God after his
resurrection.” Not that it is literally a place beyond the
world, but we cannot speak of the kingdom of God without
using our ordinary language. Others, again, considering
that the expressions, above all heavens, and ascension into
heaven, are of the same import, conclude that Christ is not
separated from us by distance of place. But one point they

1 © For ‘the lower parts of the earth,’ they may possibly signify no more
than the place beneath; as when our Saviour said, (John viii. 23,) ‘Ye
are from beneath, I am from above; ye are of this world, I am not of this
world;’ or as God spake by the prophet, ‘1 will shew wonders in heaven
above, and signs in the earth beneath.’ Nay, they may well refer to his
incarnation, according to that of David, (Ps. exxxix. 15,) or to his burial.
(Ps. xiii. 9.)”—Pearson. '

* «'This was the place of which our Saviour spake to his disciples, ‘ What
and if ye shall see the Son of Man ascend up where he was before?’ Had
he been there before in body, it had been no such wonder that he should
have ascended thither again; but that his body should ascend unto that
place where the majesty of God was most resplendent; that the flesh of
our flesh, and bone of our bone, should be seated far above all angels and
archangels, all principalities and powers, even at the right hand of God;
this was that which Christ propounded as worthy of their greatest admi-
ration. Whatsoever heaven there is higher than all the rest that are
called heavens; whatsoever sanctuary is holier than all which are called
holies; whatsoever place is of greatest dignity in all those courts above,
into that place did he ascend, where, in the splendour of his Deity, he was
before he took upon him our humanity.”— Pearson.

276 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. Iv. 10.

have overlooked. When Christ is placed above the heavens,
or in the heavens, all that surrounds the earth—all that lies
beneath the sun and stars, beneath the whole frame of the
visible world—is excluded.

That he might fill all things. To fill often signifies to
Finish, and it might have that meaning here; for, by his
ascension into heaven, Christ entered into the possession of
the authority given to him by the Father, that he might rule
and govern all things. But a more beautiful view, in my
opinion, will be obtained by connecting two meanings which,
though apparently contradictory, are perfectly consistent.
When we hear of the ascension of Christ, it instantly strikes
our minds that he is removed to a great distance from us;
and so he actually is, with respect to his body and human
presence. But Paul reminds us, that, while he is removed
from us in bodily presence, he fills all things by the power of
his Spirit. Wherever the right hand of God, which embraces
heaven and earth, is displayed, Christ is spiritually. present
by his boundless power; although, as respects his body, the
saying of Peter holds true, that “the heaven must receive
him until the times of restitution of all things, which God
hath spoken by the mouth ofall his holy prophets since the
world began.” (Acts 1. 21.)

By alluding to the seeming contradiction, the apostle has
added not a little beauty to his language. He ascended ;
but it was that he, who was formerly bounded by a little
space, might fill all things. But did he not fill them before ?
In his divine nature, I own, he did; but the power of his
Spirit was not so exerted, nor his presence so manifested,
as after he had entered into the possession of his kingdom.
“The Holy Ghost was not yet given, because Jesus was not
yet glorified.” (John vii. 39.) And again, “It is expedient
for you that I go away ; for, if I go not away, the Comforter
will not come to you.” (John xvi. 7.) In a word, when he
began to sit at the right hand of the Father, he began also
to fill all things.’

1 « The deepest humiliation is followed by the highest exaltation. From

the highest heaven, than which nothing can be higher, Christ descended
to hell, than which nothing can be lower. And on that account he de-

ee ee “3

CHAP. IV. 11.

11. And he gave some, apostles ;
and some, prophets; and some,
evangelists ; and some, pastors and
teachers ;

12. For the perfecting of the
saints, for the work of the ministry,
for the edifying of the body of
Christ :

13. Till we all come in the unity
of the faith, and of the knowledge
of the Son of God, unto a perfect

EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. Ize

11. Et ipse dedit alios quidem
apostolos, alios autem prophetas,
alios vero evangelistas, alios pas-
tores et doctores,

12. Ad instaurationem sancto-
rum, in opus ministerii, in edifica-
tionem corporis Christi,

13. Usquedum oceurramus omnes
in unitatem fidei, et cognitionis Filii
Dei, in virum perfectum, in mensu-

man, unto the measure of the stature ram etatis plenitudinis Christi;

of the fulness of Christ :

14. 'That we henceforth be no
more children, tossed to and fro, and
carried about with every wind of
doctrine, by the sleight of men, end
cunning craftiness, whereby they lie
in wait to deceive.

He returns to explain the distribution of gifts, and illus-
trates at greater length what he had slightly hinted, that
out of this varicty arises unity in the church, as the various
tones in music produce sweet melody. The meaning may
be thus summed up. ‘“ The external ministry of the word
is also commended, on account of the advantages which it
yields. Certain men appointed to that office, are employed
in preaching the gospel. ‘This is the arrangement by which
the Lord is pleased to govern his church, to maintain its
existence, and ultimately to secure its highest perfection.”

. It may excite surprise, that, when the gifts of the Holy
Spirit form the subject of discussion, Paul should enume-
rate offices instead of gifts. I reply, when men are called
by God, gifts are necessarily connected with offices. God
does not confer on men the mere name of Apostles or
Pastors, but also endows them with gifts, without which
they cannot properly discharge their office. He whom God
has appointed to be an apostle does not bear an empty and
useless title ; for the divine command, and the ability to per-
form it, go together. Let us now examine the words in detail.

11. And he gave. ‘The government of the church, by the

served that he should be again carried up beyond the boundaries of all the
heavens, withdrawing from us the presence of his body in such a manner,
that from on high he might fill all things with heavenly gifts, and, in a
different manner, might now be present with us more effectually than he
was present while he dwelt with us on earth.”—Erasmus.

14. Ne amplius simus pueri, qui
fluctuemur, et circumferamur quovis
vento doctrine, per estum hominum,
per versutiam ad circumventionem
imposturee.

278 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. Iv. 11

preaching of the word, is first of all declared to be no human
contrivance, but a most sacred ordinance of Christ. The
apostles did not appoint themselves, but were chosen by
Christ ; and, at the present day, true pastors do not rashly
thrust themselves forward by their own judgment, but are
raised up by the Lord. In short, the government of the
church, by the ministry of the word, is not a contrivance of
men, but an appointment made by the Son of God. As his
own unalterable law, it demands our assent. They who re-
ject or despise this ministry offer insult and rebellion to
Christ its Author. It is himself who gave them ; for, if he
does not raise them up, there will be none. Another infer-
ence is, that no man will be fit or qualified for so distin-
guished an office who has not been formed and moulded by
the hand of Christ himself. To Christ we owe it that we
have ministers of the gospel, that they abound in necessary
qualifications, that they execute the trust committed to
them. All, all is his gift. : .

Some, apostles. The different names and offices assigned
to different persons take their rise from that diversity of
the members which goes to form the completeness of the
whole body,—every ground of emulation, and envy, and am-
bition, being thus removed. If every person shall display a
selfish character, shall strive to outshine his neighbour, and
shall disregard all concerns but his own,—or, if more eminent
persons shall be the object of envy to those who occupy a
lower place,—in each, and in all of these cases, gifts are not
applied to their proper use. He therefore reminds them,
that the gifts bestowed on individuals are intended, not to
be held for their personal and separate interests, but to be

employed for the benefit of the whole. Of the offices which —

are here enumerated, we have already spoken at considerable
length,! and shall now say nothing more than the exposition
of the passage seems to demand. Five classes of office-
bearers are mentioned, though on this point, I am aware,
there is a diversity of opinion ; for some consider the two last
to make but one office. Leaving out of view the opinions of
others, I shall proceed to state my own.

1 See Cavin on Corinthians, vol. i. p. 401.

CHAP. Iv. 11. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 279

I take the word apostles not in that general sense which
the derivation of the term might warrant, but in its own
peculiar signification, for those highly favoured persons whom
Christ exalted to the highest honour. Such were. the twelve,
to whose number Paul was afterwards added. Their office
was to spread the doctrine of the gospel throughout the
whole world, to plant churches, and to erect the kingdom
of Christ. They had not churches of their own committed
to them; but the injunction given to all of them was, to
preach the gospel wherever they went.

Next to them come the Evangelists, who were closely al-
lied in the nature of their office, but held an inferior rank.
To this class belonged Timothy and others ; for, while Paul
mentions them along with himself in the salutations of his
epistles, he does not speak of them as his companions in the
apostleship, but claims this name as peculiarly his own.
The services in which the Lord employed them were auxi-
liary to those of the apostles, to whom they were next in
rank.

To these two classes the apostle adds Prophets. By this
- name some understand those persons who possessed the gift of
predicting future events, among whom was Agabus. (Acts xi.
28; xxi. 10.) But, for my own part, as doctrine is the pre-
sent subject, I would rather define the word prophets, as on a
former occasion,’ to mean distinguished interpreters of pro-
phecies, who, by a remarkable gift of revelation, applied them
to the subjects which they had occasion to handle ; not ex-
cluding, however, the gift of prophecy, by which their doc-
trinal instruction was usually accompanied.

Pastors and Teachers are supposed by some to denote one
office, because the apostle does not, as in the other parts of the
verse, say, and some, pastors ; and some, teachers ; but, tovs
de, mousevas Kab SidacKddovs, and some, pastors and teachers.
Chrysostom and Augustine are of this opinion ; not to men-
tion the commentaries of Ambrose, whose observations on the
subject are truly childish and unworthy of himself. I partly
agree with them, that Paul speaks indiscriminately of pastors
and teachers as belonging to one and the same class, and

* See Cauvin on Corinthians, vol. i. p. 415.

280 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. Iv. 1].

that the name teacher does, to some extent, apply to all pas-
tors. But this does not appear to me a sufficient reason why
two offices, which I find to differ from each other, should be
confounded. Teaching is, no doubt, the duty of all pastors ;
but to maintain sound doctrine requires a talent for inter-
preting Scripture, and a man may be a teacher who 1s not
qualified to preach.

Pastors, in my opinion, are those who have the charge of
a particular flock ; though 1 have no objection to their re-
ceiving the name of teachers, if it be understood that there
is a distinct class of teachers, who preside both in the educa-
tion of pastors and in the instruction of the whole church.
It may sometimes happen, that the same person is both a
pastor and a teacher, but the duties to be performed are en-
tirely different.

It deserves attention, also, that, of the five offices which
are here enumerated, not more than the last two are intended
to be perpetual. Apostles, Evangelists, and Prophets were
bestowed on the church for a limited time only, —except in
those cases where religion has fallen into decay, and evan-
gelists are raised up in an extraordinary manner, to restore
the pure doctrine which had been lost. But without Pastors
and Teachers there can be no government of the church.

Papists have some reason to complain, that their primacy,
of which they boast so much, is openly insulted in this pass-
age. The subject of discussion is the unity of the church.
Paul inquires into the means by which its continuance Is se-
cured, and the outward expressions by which it is promoted,
and comes at length to the government ofthechurch. If he
knew a primacy which had a fixed residence, was it not his
duty, for the benefit of the whole church, to exhibit one
ministerial head placed over all the members, under whose
government we are collected into one body? We must either
charge Paul with inexcusable neglect and foolishness, in
leaving out the most appropriate and powerful argument, or
we must acknowledge that this primacy is at variance with
the appointment of Christ. In truth, he plainly rejects it
as without foundation, when heascribes superiority to Christ
alone, and represents the apostles, and all the pastors, as in-

CHAP. Iv. | 2. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 281

deed inferior to Him, but associated on an equal level with
each other. There is no passage of Scripture by which that
tyrannical hierarchy, regulated by one earthly head, is more
completely overturned. Paul has been followed by Cyprian,
who gives a short and clear definition of what forms the only
lawful monarchy in the church. There is, he says, one
bishoprick, which unites the various parts into one whole.
This bishoprick he claims for Christ alone, leaving the admi-
nistration of it to individuals, but in a united capacity, no
one being permitted to exalt himself above others.

12. For the renewing of the saints. In this version I fol-
low Erasmus, not because I prefer his view, but to allow the
reader an opportunity of comparing his version with the
Vulgate and with mine, and then choosing for himself.
The old translation was, (ad consummationem,) for the
completeness. The Greek word employed by Paul is catap-
tsa0s, Which signifies literally the adaptation of things pos-
sessing symmetry and proportion ; just as, in the human
body, the members are united in a proper and regular man-
ner; so that the word comes to signify perfection. But as
Paul intended to express here a just and orderly arrange-
ment, I prefer the word (constitutio) settlement or constitu-
tion, taking it in that sense in which a commonwealth, or
kingdom, or province, is said to be settled, when confusion
gives place to the regular administration of law.

For the work of the ministry. God might himself have
performed this work, if he had chosen ; but he has commit-
ted it to the ministry of men. This is intended to antici-
pate an objection. ‘ Cannot the church be constituted and
properly arranged, without the instrumentality of men?”
Paul asserts that a ministry is required, because such is the
will of God.

For the edifying of the body of Christ. This is the same
thing with what he had formerly denominated the settlement
or perfecting of the saints. Our true completeness and per-
fection consist in our being united in the one body of Christ.
No language more highly commendatory of the ministry of
the word could have been employed, than to ascribe to it
this effect. What is more excellent than to produce the true

282 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. Iv. 13,

and complete perfection of the church? And yet this work,
so admirable and divine, is here declared by the apostle to
be accomplished by the external ministry of the word. That
those who neglect this instrument should hope to become
perfect in Christ is utter madness. Yet such are the fana-
tics, on the one hand, who pretend to be favoured with secret
revelations of the Spirit,—and proud men, on the other, who
imagine that to them the private reading of the Scriptures
is enough, and that they have no need of the ordinary
ministry of the church.

If the edification of the church proceeds from Christ alone,
he has surely a right to prescribe in what manner it shall be
edified. But Paul expressly states, that, according to the
command of Christ, no real union or perfection is attained,
but by the outward preaching. We must allow ourselves to
be ruled and taught by men. This is the universal rule,
which extends equally to the highest and to the lowest.
The church is the common mother of all the godly, which
bears, nourishes, and brings up children to God, kings
and peasants alike; and this is done by the ministry.
Those who neglect or despise this order choose to be
wiser than Christ. Wo to the pride of such men! It is,
no doubt, a thing in itself passible that divine influence
alone should make us perfect without human assistance.
But the present inquiry is not what the power of God can
accomplish, but what is the will of God and the appointment
of Christ. In employing human instruments for accom-
plishing their salvation, God has conferred on men no ordi-
nary favour. Nor can any exercise be found better adapted
to promote unity than to gather around the common doctrine
—the standard of our General.

13. Till we all come. Paul had already said, that by the
nunistry of men the church is regulated and governed, so as
to attain the highest perfection. But his commendation of
the ministry is now carried farther. The necessity for which
he had pleaded is not confined to a single day, but continues
tothe end. Or, tospeak more plainly, he reminds his readers
that the use of the ministry is not temporal, like that of a
school for children, (wadaywyia, Gal. iii. 24,) but constant,

CHAP. Iv. 13. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 283

so long as we remain in the world. Enthusiasts dream that
the use of the ministry ceases as soon as we have been led
to Christ. Proud men, who carry their desire of knowledge
beyond what is proper, look down with contempt on the
elementary instruction of childhood. But Paul maintains
that we must persevere in this course till all our deficiencies
are supplied; that we must make progress till death, under
the teaching of Christ alone; and that we must not be
ashamed to be the scholars of the church, to which Christ
has committed our education.

In the unity of the faith. But ought not the unity of the
faith to reign among us from the very commencement? It
does reign, I acknowledge, among the sons of God, but not
so perfectly as to make them come together. Such is the
weakness of our nature, that it is enough if every day brings
some nearer to others, and all nearer to Christ. The expres-
sion, coming together, denotes that closest union to which
we still aspire, and which we shall never reach, until this
garment of the flesh, which is always accompanied by some
remains of ignorance and weakness, shall have been laid
aside.

And of the knowledge of the Son of God. This clause ap-
pears to be added for the sake of explanation. It was the
apostle’s intention to explain what is the nature of true
faith, and in what it consists; that is, when the Son of God
is known. ‘To the Son of God alone faith ought to look ; on
him it relies; in him it rests and terminates. If it proceed
farther, it will disappear, and will no longer be faith, but a
delusion. Let us remember, that true faith confines its view
so entirely to Christ, that it neither knows, nor desires to
know, anything else.

Into a perfectman. This must be read in immediate con-
nection with what goes before; as if he had said, “ What is
the highest perfection of Christians? How is that perfection
attained ?” Full manhood is found in Christ ; for foolish
men do not, in a proper manner, seek their perfection in
Christ. It ought to be held as a fixed principle among us,
that all that is out of Christ is hurtful and destructive.
Whoever is a man in Christ, is, in every respect, a perfect man.

28 1 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. Iv. 14.

The acs of fulness means—full or mature age. No men-
tion is made of old age, for in the Christian progress no
place for it is found. Whatever becomes old has a tendency
to decay ; but the vigour of this spiritual life is continually
advancing.

14. That we may be no more children. Having spoken of
that perfect manhood, towards which we are proceeding
throughout the whole course of our life, he reminds us that,
during such a progress, we ought not to resemble children.
An intervening period is thus pointed out between childhood
and man’s estate. Those are “ children” who have not yet
advanced a step in the way of the Lord, but who still hesi-
tate,—who have not yet determined what road they ought .
to choose, but move sometimes in one direction and some-
times in another, always doubtful, always wavering. Those,
again, who are thoroughly founded in the doctrine of Christ,
though not yet perfect, have so much wisdom and vigour as
to choose properly, and proceed steadily, in the right course,
Thus we find that the life of believers, marked by a constant
desire and progress towards those attainments which they
shall ultimately reach, bears a resemblance to youth. At
no period of this life are we men. But let not such a state-
ment be carried to the other extreme, as if there were no
progress beyond childhood. After being born to Christ, we
ought to grow, so as “not to be children in understanding.”
(1 Cor. xiv. 20.) Hence it appears what kind of Christianity
the Popish system must be, when the pastors labour, to
the utmost of their power, to keep the people in absolute
infancy.

Tossed to and fro, and carried ubout. The distressing
hesitation of those who do not place absolute reliance on the
word of the Lord, is illustrated by two striking metaphors.
The first is taken from small ships, exposed to the fury of
the billows in the open sea, holding no fixed course, guided
neither by skill nor design, but hurried along by the violence
of the tempest. The next is taken from straws, or other
light substances, which are carried hither and thither as the
wind drives them, and often in opposite directions. Such
must be the changeable and unsteady character of all who

CHAP. Iv. 14. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 285

do not rest on the foundation of God’s eternal truth. It is
their just punishment for looking, not to God, but to men.
Paul declares, on the other hand, that faith, which rests on
the word of God, stands unshaken against all the attacks of
Satan.

By every wind of doctrine. By a beautiful metaphor, all
the doctrines of men, by which we are drawn away from the
simplicity of the gospel, are called winds. God gave us his
word, by which we might have placed ourselves beyond the
possibility of being moved ; but, giving way to the contri-
vances of men, we are carried about in all directions.

By the cunning of men. There will always be impostors,
who make insidious attacks upon our faith; but, if we are
fortified by the truth of God, their efforts will be unavailing.
Both parts of this statement deserve our careful attention.
When new sects, or wicked tenets, spring up, many persons
become alarmed. But the attempts of Satan to darken, by
his falsehoods, the pure doctrine of Christ, are at no time
interrupted ; and it is the will of God that these struggles
should be the trial of our faith. When we are informed, on
the other hand, that the best and readiest defence against
every kind of error is to bring forward that doctrine which
we have learned from Christ and his apostles, this surely is
no ordinary consolation.

With what awful wickedness, then, are Papists chargeable,
who take away from the word of God everything like cer-
tainty, and maintain that there is no steadiness of faith, but
what depends on the authority of men! Ifa man entertain
any doubt, it is in vain to bid him consult the word of God:
he must abide by their decrees. But we have embraced the
law, the prophets, and the gospel. Let us therefore confi-
dently expect that we shall reap the advantage which is here
promised,—that all the impostures of men will do us no
harm. They will attack us, indeed, but they will not prevail.
We are entitled, I acknowledge, to look for the dispensation
of sound doctrine from the church, for God has committed
it to her charge; but when Papists avail themselves of the
disguise of the church for burying doctrine, they give sufii-
cient proof that they have a diabolical synagogue.

286 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. Iv. 15.

)

The Greek word «veéa, which I have translated cunning,
is taken from players at dice, who are accustomed to practise
many arts of deception. The words, év ravoupyia, by crafti-
ness, intimate that the ministers of Satan are deeply skilled
in imposture ; and it is added, that they keep watch, in
order to insnare, (mpos tnv peOodetav THs mAavys.) All this
should rouse and sharpen our minds to profit by the word of
God. If we neglect to do so, we may fall into the snares of
our enemies, and endure the severe punishment of our sloth.

15. But, speaking the truth in love,
may grow up into him in all things,
which is the head, even Christ :

16. From whom the whole body
fitly joined together and compacted
by that which every joint supplieth,
according to the effectual working in
the measure of every part, maketh
increase of the body, unto the edify-
ing of itself in love.

15. But, speaking the truth.

15. Veritatem autem sectantes in
charitate, crescamus in eum per om-
nia, quiest caput, nempe Christum ;

16. Ex quo totum corpus compo-
situm et compactum per omnem
juncturam subministrationis, secun-
dum efficaciam in mensura uniuscu-
Jusque partis, incrementum corporis
facit in aedificationem sui, in cha-
ritate.

Having already said that we

ought not to be children, destitute of reason and judgment, he
now enjoins us to grow up in the truth.’ Though we have not
arrived at man’s estate, we ought at least, as we have already
said, to be advanced children. The truth of God ought to
have such a firm hold of us, that all the contrivances and
attacks of Satan shall not draw us from our course ; and yet,
as we have not hitherto attained full and complete strength,
we must make progress until death.

He points out the design of this progress, that Christ may
be the head, “ that in all things he may have the pre-emi-
nence,” (Col. i. 18,) and that in him alone we may grow in
vigour orin stature. Again, we see that no man is excepted ;
all are enjoined to be subject, and to take their own places
in the body.

What aspect then does Popery present, but that of a

* “© Adndedorres does not seem properly to denote so much ‘ speaking the
truth,’ as ‘ embracing and adhering to it;’ and, to render the Christian
perfect, he must add to this regard to truth, love, or universal affection and
benevolence. It was a noble saying of Pythagoras, agreeable to this sen-
timent of our apostle, ‘ These are the two loveliest gifts of the gods to men,
ro re dAndsvew xal 7d edegyertiv, to embrace the truth, and be beneficent.’
Aflian. 1. 12, c. 58.)”—Chandler.

. + aren! ace

CHAP. Iv. 16. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 287

crooked, deformed person? Is not the whole symmetry of
the church destroyed, when one man, acting in opposition to
the head, refuses to be reckoned one of the members? The
Papists deny this, and allege that the Pope is nothing more
than a ministerial head. But such cavils do them no ser-
vice. The tyranny of their idol must be acknowledged to
be altogether inconsistent with that order which Paul here
recommends. In a word, a healthful condition of the church
requires that Christ alone “ must increase,’ and all others
“ must decrease.” (John iii. 30.) Whatever increase we
obtain must be regulated in such a manner, that we shall
remain in our own place, and contribute to exalt the head.

When he bids us give heed to the truth 7m love, he uses
the preposition zn, (év,) like the corresponding Hebrew prepo-
sition 3, (beth,) as signifying with,—speaking the truth witH
love.' If each individual, instead of attending exclusively
to his own concerns, shall desire mutual intercourse, there
will be agreeable and general progress. Such, the Apostle
assures us, must be the nature of this harmony, that men
shall not be suffered to forget the claims of truth, or, disre-
garding them, to frame an agreement according to their own
views. This proves the wickedness of the Papists, who lay
aside the word of God, and labour to force our compliance
with their decisions.

16. From whom the whole body. All our increase should
tend to exalt more highly the glory of Christ. This is now
proved by the best possible reason. It is he who supplies all
our wants, and without whose protection we cannot be safe.
As the root conveys sap to the whole tree, so all the vigour
which we possess must flow to us from Christ. There are
three things here which deserve our attention. The first is
what has now been stated. All the life or health which is
diffused through the members flows from the head ; so that
the members occupy a subordinate rank. The second is,
that, by the distribution made, the limited share of each
renders the communication between all the members abso-

© Aandedovres tv &yéorn, means much more than ‘ speaking the truth in
love ;’ it signifies thinking, feeling, acting under the influence of ¢ the truth,
which worketh by love.’ ”—Brown.

288 CHAP. Iv. Py.

COMMENTARIES ON THE
lutely necessary. The third is, that, without mutual love,
the health of the body cannot be maintained. Through the
members, as canals, is conveyed from the head all that is
necessary for the nourishment of the body. While this con-
nection is upheld, the body is alive and healthy. Each mem-
ber, too, has its own proper share,—according to the effectual
working in the measure of every part.

Lastly, he shows that by love the church is edified,—to the
edifying of itself in love. This means that no increase is
advantageous, which does not bear a just proportion to the
whole body. That man is mistaken who desires his own
separate growth. If a leg or arm should grow to a prodi-
gious size, or the mouth be more fully distended, would the
undue enlargement of those parts be otherwise than injurious
to the whole frame? In like manner, if we wish to be con-
sidered members of Christ, let no man be anything for him-
self, but let us all be whatever we are for the benefit of each
other. This is accomplished by love; and where it does not
reign, there is no “ edification,” but an absolute scattering
of the church.

17. This I say therefore, and tes- 17. Hoe ergo dico et testificor in

tify in the Lord, that ye henceforth
walk not as other Gentiles walk, in
the vanity of their mind;

18. Having the understanding
darkened, being alienated from the
life of God through the ignorance
that is in them, because of the blind-
ness of their heart :

19. Who, being past feeling, have
given themselves over unto lasci-
viousness, to work all uncleanness
with greediness.

17. This I say therefore.

Domino, ne ambuletis amplius, quem-
admodum et gentes relique ambu-
lant,

18. In vanitate mentis sus, ex-
csecatee in intelligentia, alienate a
vita Dei propter ignorantiam, que
in illis est, propter czecitatem cordis
earum ;

19. Que postquam dolore tangi
desierunt, seipsas tradiderunt lasci-
vie, ad perpetrandam omnem im-
munditiam cum aviditate.

That government which Christ

has appointed for the edification of his church has now been

considered.

He next inquires what fruits the doctrine of

the gospel ought to yield in the lives of Christians ; or, if
you prefer it, he begins to explain minutely the nature of
that edification by which doctrine ought to be followed.
That ye henceforth walk not in vanity. He first exhorts
them to renounce the vanity of unbelievers, arguing from its

CHAP. lv. 17. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 289

inconsistency with their present views. That those who
have been taught in the school of Christ, and enlightened
by the doctrine of salvation, should follow vanity, and in no
respect differ from those unbelieving and blind nations on
whom no light of truth has ever shone, would be singularly
foolish. On this ground he very properly calls upon them
to demonstrate, by their life, that they had gained some
advantage by becoming the disciples of Christ. To impart
to his exhortation the greater earnestness, he beseeches
them by the name of God,—this I say and testify in the
Lord,'—reminding them, that, if they despised this instruc-
tion, they must one day give an account.

As other Gentiles walk. THe means those who had not yet
been converted to Christ. But, at the same time, he reminds
the Ephesians how necessary it was that they should repent,
since by nature they resembled lost and condemned men.
The miserable and shocking condition of other nations is
held out as the motive to a change of disposition. He asserts
that believers differ from unbelievers ; and points out, as we
shall see, the causes of this difference. With regard to the
former, he accuses their mind of vanity: and let us remem-
ber, that he speaks generally of all who have not been re-
newed by the Spirit of Christ.

In the vanity of their mind. Now, the mind holds the
highest rank in the human constitution, is the seat of reason,
presides over the will, and restrains sinful desires ; so that
our theologians of the Sorbonne are in the habit of calling
her the Queen. But Paul makes the mind to consist of
nothing else than vanity; and, as if he had not expressed
his meaning strongly enough, he gives no better title to her
daughter, the understanding. Such is my interpretation of
the word dvavo/a; for, though it signifies the thought, yet,
as it is in the singular number, it refers to the thinking

1“ Magrigoua tv xveiw—tIn this sense wagrigoua: is obviously used by
Polybius : orvdgamovray ob ray ey xwelay nak Meerugomtivay Tous avdous tar a~
véysw exl ray dex, when the inhabitants had run together and besought
to bring the men to the magistrates. It is more customary to use 3apee-
rigomes in this sense. Woaae yee ray xuBeounray Biapaprugopevay LN TaAsiv
Tage why tlw rreugay Tis Yixedias, because the pilots earnestly implored them
not to sail along the opposite coast of Sicily.”— Raphelius.

Ae

290 “COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. Iv. 17.

faculty. Plato, about the close of his Sixth Book on a Re-
public, assigns to Svavota an intermediate place between
vonow and mictts; but his observations are so entirely con-
fined to geometrical subjects, as not to admit of application
to this passage. Having formerly asserted that men see
nothing, Paul now adds, that they are blind in reasoning,
even on the most important subjects.

Jet men now go and be proud of free-will, whose guidance
is here marked by so deep disgrace. But experience, we
shall be told, is openly at variance with this opinion; for
men are not so blind as to be incapable of seeing anything,
nor so vain as to be.incapable of forming any judgment. I
answer, with respect to the kingdom of God, and all that
relates to the spiritual life, the light of human reason differs
little from darkness ; for, before it has pointed out the road,
it is extinguished ; and its power of perception is little else
than blindness, for ere it has reached the fruit, it is gone.
The true principles held by the human mind resemble
sparks ;! but these are choked by the depravity of our nature,
before they have been applied to their proper use. All men
know, for instance, that there is a God, and that it is our
duty to worship him; but such is the power of sin and igno-
rance, that from this confused knowledge we pass all at once
to an idol, and worship it in the place of God. And even in
the worship of God, it leads to great errors, particularly in
the first table of the law.

As to the second objection, our judgment does indeed
agree with the law of God in regard to the mere outward
actions; but sinful desire, which is the source of everything
evil, escapes our notice. Besides, Paul does not speak merely
of the natural blindness which we brought with us from the
womb, but refers also to a still grosser blindness, by which,
as we shall afterwards see, God punishes former transgres-
sions. We conclude with observing, that the reason and
understanding which men naturally possess, make them in
the sight of God without excuse; but, so long as they allow

" “Jl_y a bien en l’esprit de homme des principes et maximes veri-

tables, qui sont commes estincelles.” “There are, in the mind of man,
many true principles and maxims, which resemble sparks.’

ee

CHAP. Iv. 18. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 291

themselves to live according to their natural disposition, they
can only wander, and fall, and stumble in their purposes and
actions. Hence it appears in what estimation and value
false worship must appear in the sight of God, when it pro-
ceeds from the gulf of vanity and the maze of ignorance.

18. Being alienated from the life of God. The life of God
may either mean what is accounted life in the sight of God, as
in that paszage, “they loved the praise of men more than the
pravse of God,” (John xii. 43,) or, that life which God be-
stows on his elect by the Spirit of regeneration. In both
eases the meaning is the same. Our ordinary life, as men,
is nothing more than an empty image of life, not only
because it quickly passes, but also because, while we live, our
souls, not keeping close to God, are dead. There are three
kinds of life in this world. The first is animal life, which
consists only of motion and the bodily senses, and which we
have in common with the brutes; the second is human life,
which we have as the children of Adam; and the third is
that supernatural life, which believers alone obtain. And
all of them are from God, so that each of them may be called
the life of God. As to the first, Paul, in his sermon at
Athens, says, (Acts xvii. 28,) “In him we live, and move,
and have our being ;” and the Psalmist says, “Send forth
thy Spirit, and they shall be created ; and thou wilt renew
the face of the earth.” (Ps. civ. 30.) Of the second Job
says, “Thou hast granted me life, and thy visitation hath
preserved my spirit.” (Job x. 12.)

But the regeneration of believers is here called, by way of
eminence, the life of God, because then does God truly live
in us, and we enjoy his life, when he governs us by his
Spirit. Of this life all men who are not new creatures in
Christ are declared by Paul to be destitute. So long, then,
as we remain in the flesh, that is, in ourselves, how wretched
must be our condition! We may now form a judgment of all
the moral virtues, as they are called ; for what sort of actions
will that life produce which, Paul affirms, is not the life of
God? Before anything good can begin to proceed from us, we
must first be renewed by the grace of Christ. This will be the
commencement of a true, and, as the phrase is, a vital life.

292 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. Iv. 19.

On account of the ignorance that is in them. We ought to
attend to the reason which is here assigned; for, as the
knowledge of God is the true life of the soul, so, on the con-
trary, ignorance is the death of it. And lest we should adopt
the opinion of philosophers, that ignorance, which leads us
into mistakes, is only an incidental evil, Paul shews that it
has its root ¢n the blindness of their heart, by which he in-
timates that it dwells in their very nature. ‘The first blind-
ness, therefore, which covers the minds of men, is the punish-
ment of original sin; because Adam, after his revolt, was
deprived of the true light of God, in the absence of which
there is nothing but fearful darkness.

19. Who being past feeling. The account which had been
given of natural depravity is followed by a description of the
worst of all evils, brought upon men by their own sinful
conduct. Having destroyed the sensibilities of the heart,
and allayed the stings of remorse, they abandon themselves
to all manner of iniquity. We are by nature corrupt and
prone to evil; nay, we are wholly inclined to evil. Those
who are destitute of the Spirit of Christ give loose reins to
self-indulgence, till fresh offences, producing others in con-
stant succession, bring down upon them the wrath of God.
The voice of God, proclaimed by an accusing conscience, still
continues to be heard; but, instead of producing its proper
effects, appears rather to harden them against all admoni-
tion. On account of such obstinacy, they deserve to be
altogether forsaken by God.

The usual symptom of their having been thus forsaken is
—the insensibility to pain, which is here described—being
past feeling. Unmoved by the approaching judgment of
God, whom they offend, they go on at their ease, and fear-
lessly indulge without restraint in the pleasures of sin. No
shame is felt, no regard to character is maintained. The
enawing of a guilty conscience, tormented by the dread of
the Divine judgment, may be compared to the porch of hell;
but such hardened security as this—is a whirlpool which
swallows up and destroys. As Solomon says, “ When the
wicked is come to the deep, he despiseth it.” (Prov. xviii. 3.)
Most properly, therefore, does Paul exhibit that dreadful

CHAP. Iv. 20. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 293
example of Divine vengeance, in which men forsaken by
God—having laid conscience to sleep, and destroyed all fear
of the Divine judgment,—in a word, being past feeling,—
surrender themselves with brutal violence to all wickedness,
This is not universally the case. Many even of the repro-
bate are restrained by God, whose infinite goodness prevents
the absolute confusion in which the world would otherwise
be involved. The consequence is, that such open lust, such
unrestrained intemperance, does not appear in all. It is
enough that the lives of some present such a mirror, fitted
to awaken our alarm lest anything similar should happen to
ourselves.

Lasciviousness (acedyeia) appears to me to denote that
wantonness with which the flesh indulges in intemperance
and licentiousness, when not restrained by the Spirit of God.
Uncleanness is put for scandalous enormities of every de-
scription. It is added, with greediness. The Greek word
mdeoveEva, which is so translated, often signifies covetous-
ness, (Luke xu. 15; 2 Pet. i. 14,) and is so explained by
some in this passage; but I cannot adopt that view. De-
praved and wicked desires being insatiable, Paul represents
them as attended and followed by greediness, which is the
contrary of moderation.

20. But ye have not so learned
Christ ;

21. If so be that ye have heard
him, and have been taught by him.
as the truth is in Jesus:

22. That ye put off, concerning
the former conversation, the old
man, which is corrupt according to
the deceitful lusts;

23. And be renewed in the spirit
of your mind;

24. And that ye put on the new
man, which after God is created in
righteousness and true holiness.

20. Vos autem non ita didicistis
Christum ;

21. Si quidem ipsum audistis, et
in ipso estis edocti, quemadmodum
est veritas in Iesu:

22. Ut deponatis, secundum pris-
tinam conversationem, Veterem ho-
minem, qui corrumpitur secundum
concupiscentias erroris ;

23. Renovemini autem spiritu
mentis vestree,

24. Et induatis Novum hominem,
qui secundum Deum creatus est, in
justitia et sanctitate veritatis.

20. But ye have not. He now draws a contrast of a Christian
life, so as to make it evident how utterly inconsistent it is
with the character of a godly man to defile himself regard-

lessly with the abominations of the Gentiles.

Because the

Gentiles walk in darkness, therefore they do not distinguish
between right and wrong; but those on whom the truth of

294 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. IV. 22.

God shines ought to live in a different manner. That those
to whom the vanity of the senses is a rule of life, should
yield themselves up to base lusts, is not surprising; but the
doctrine of Christ teaches us to renounce our natural dispo-
sitions. He whose life differs not from that of unbelievers,
has learned nothing of Christ ; for the knowledge of Christ
cannot be separated from the mortification of the flesh.

21. If ye have heard him. To excite their attention and
earnestness the more, he not only tells them that they had
heard Christ, but employs a still stronger expression, ye have
been taught in him, as if he had said, that this doctrine had
not been slightly pointed out, but faithfully delivered and
explained.

As the truth is in Jesus. This contains a reproof of
that superficial knowledge of the gospel, by which many
are elated, who are wholly unacquainted with newness of
life. They think that they are exceedingly wise, but the
apostle pronounces it to be a false and mistaken opinion.
There is a twofold knowledge of Christ,—one, which is true
and genuine,—and another, which is counterfeit and spu-
rious. Not that, strictly speaking, there are two kinds ;
but most men falsely imagine that they know Christ, while
they know nothing but what is carnal. In another Epistle
he says, “If any man be in Christ, let him be a new crea-
ture.” (2 Cor. v.17.) So here he affirms that any know-
ledge of Christ, which is not accompanied by mortification
of the flesh, is not true and sincere.

22. That ye put off. We demands from a Christian man
repentance, or a new life, which he makes to consist of self-
denial and the regeneration of the Holy Spirit. Beginning
with the first, he enjoins us to lay aside, or put off the old
man, employing the metaphor of garments, which we have
already had occasion to explain. The old man,—as we have
repeatedly stated, in expounding the sixth chapter of the
Epistle to the Romans, and other passages where it occurs,—
means the natural disposition which we bring with us from
our mother’s womb. In two persons, Adam and Christ, he
describes to us what may be called two natures. As we are
first born of Adam, the depravity of nature which we derive

Se eee

CHAP. Iv. 24. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 295

from him is called the Old man; and as we are born again
in Christ, the amendment of this sinful nature is called the
New man. In a word, he who desires to put off the old
man must renounce his nature. To suppose that the words
Old and New contain an allusion to the Old and New Tes-
taments, is exceedingly unphilosophical.

Concerning the former conversation. To make it more
evident that this exhortation to the Ephesians was not un-
necessary, he reminds them of their former life. ‘“ Before
Christ revealed himself to your minds, the old man reigned
in you; and therefore, if you desire to Jay him aside, you
must renounce your former life.” Which is corrupted. He
describes the old man from the fruits, that is, from the
wicked desires, which allure men to destruction; for the
word, corrupt, alludes to old age, which is closely allied to
corruption. Let us beware of considering the deceitful lusts,
as the Papists do, to mean nothing more than the gross and
visible lusts, which are generally acknowledged to be base.
The word includes also those dispositions which, instead of
being censured, are sometimes applauded,—such as ambi-
tion, cunning, and everything that proceeds either from
self-love or from want of confidence in God.

23. And be renewed. The second part of the rule fora
devout and holy life is to live, not in our own spirit, but in
the Spirit of Christ. But what is meant by—the spirit of
your mind ? J understand it simply to mean,—Be renewed,
not only with respect to the inferior appetites or desires,
which are manifestly sinful, but with respect also to that
part of the soul which is reckoned most noble and excellent.
And here again, he brings forward to view that Queen which
philosophers are accustomed almost to adore. There is an
implied contrast between the spirit of our mind and the
Divine and heavenly Spirit, who produces in us another and
a new mind. How much there is in us that is sound or un-
corrupted may be easily gathered from this passage, which
enjoins us to correct chiefly the reason or mind, in which we
are apt to imagine that there is nothing but what is virtuous
and deserves commendation.

24. And that ye put on the new man. All that is meant

296 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. lv. 24.

is, “ Be renewed in the spirit, or, be renewed within or com-
pletely,—beginning with the mind, which appears to be the
part most free from all taint of sin.” What is added about
the creation, may refer either to the first creation of man,
or to the second creation, which is effected by the grace of
Christ. Both expositions will be true. Adam was at first
created after the image of God, and reflected, as in a
mirror, the Divine righteousness ; but that image, hav-
ing been defaced by sin, must now be restored in Christ.
The regeneration of the godly is indeed—as we have for-
merly explained'—nothing else than the formation anew
of the image of God in them. There is, no doubt, a far
more rich and powerful manifestation of Divine grace in
this second creation than in the first; but our highest
perfection is uniformly represented in Scripture as con-
sisting in our conformity and resemblance to God. Adam
lost the image which he had originally received, and there-
fore it becomes necessary that it shall be restored to.us by
Christ. The design contemplated by regeneration is to recall
us from our wanderings to that end for which we were created.

In righteousness. If righteousness be taken as a general
term for uprightness, holoness will be something higher, or
that purity which lies in being devoted to the service of
God. Iam rather inclined to consider holiness as referring
to the first table, and righteousness to the second table, of
the law, as in the song of Zacharias, “That we may serve
him in holiness and righteousness, all the days of our life.’
(Luke i. 74, 75.) Plato lays down the distinction correctly,
that holiness (dcvorns) lies in the worship of God, and that
the other part, righteousness, (S:xaocvvy,) bears a reference
tomen. The genitive, of truth, (ris adnOecas,) is put in the
place of an adjective, and refers to both terms; so that,
while it literally runs, a righteousness and holiness of truth,
the meaning is, in true righteousness and holiness. Te warns
us that both ought to be sincere; because we have to do
with God, whom it is impossible to deceive.

25. Wherefore, putting away ly- 25. Quare, deposito mendacio,
ing, speak every man truth with his loquimini veritatem unusquisque

1 See Catvin’s Commentary on Corinthians, vol. ii. p. 187.

——_ eo SY ee ee a

CHAP. Iv. 26.

neighbour: for we are members one
of another.

26. Be ye angry, and sin not:
let not the sun go down upon your
wrath :

27. Neither give place to the devil.

28. Let him that stole steal no
more: but rather let him Jabour,
working with his hands the thing
which is good, that he may have to

EPISTLE TO THE EPIIESIANS,

ra 4

cum proximo suo; quia sumus vicis-
sim inter nos membra.

26. Irascimini, et ne_peccetis.
(Ps. iv. 5.) Sol non occidat super
iracundiam vestram:

27. Et ne detis locum diabolo.

28. Qui furabatur, jam non fure-
tur ; magis autem laboret, operando
quod bonum est manibus, ut habeat
quod eroget opus habenti.

give to him that needeth.

25. Wherefore, putting away lying. From this head of
doctrine, that is, from the righteousness of the new man, all
godly exhortations flow, like streams from a fountain; for if all
the precepts which relate to life were collected, yet, without
this principle, they would be of little value. Philosophers
take a different method ; but, in the doctrine of godliness,
there is no other way than this for regulating the life.
Now, therefore, he comes to lay down particular exhorta-
tions, drawn from the general doctrine. Having concluded
from the truth of the gospel, that righteousness and holiness
ought to be true, he now argues from the general statement
to a particular instance, that every man should speak truth
with his neighbour. Lying is here put for every kind of de-
ceit, hypocrisy, or cunning; and truth for honest dealing.
He demands that every kind of communication between
them shall be sincere ; and enforces it by this consideration,
for we are members one of another. That members should
not agree among themselves,—that they should act in a de-
ceitful manner towards each other, is prodigious wickedness.

26. Be yeangry, and sin not. Whether or not the apostle
had in his eye a part of the fourth Psalm is uncertain. The
words used by him (OpyitecOe kai wn duaprdvere) occur in
the Greek translation, though the word dpyitece, which is
translated, be ye angry, is considered by some to mean
tremble! The Hebrew verb 139 (ragdz) signifies either to
be agitated by anger, or, to tremble. As to the passage of
the Psalm, the idea of trembling will be quite appropriate.
“Do not choose to resemble madmen, who rush fearlessly
in any direction, but let the dread of being accounted fool-
hardy keep you in awe.” The word sometimes signifies to

1 « Stand in awe,” Psalm iv. 4. (Eng. Ver.)

298 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. Iv. 27.

strive or quarrel, as, in that instance, (Gen. xlv. 24) “See
that ye fall not owt by the way ;” and accordingly, the
Psalmist adds, “Commune with your own heart, and be
still,’—abstain from furious encounters.

In my opinion, Paul merely alludes to the passage with
the following view. There are three faults by which we
offend God in being angry. The first is, when our anger
arises from slight causes, and often from no cause whatever,
or at least from private injuries or offences. The second is,
when we go beyond the proper bounds, and are hurried into
intemperate excesses. The third is, when our anger, which
ought to have been directed against ourselves or against sins,
is turned against our brethren. Most appropriately, there-
fore, did Paul, when he wished to describe the proper limi-
tation of anger, employ the well-known passage, Be ye
angry, and sin not. We comply with this injunction, if the
objects of our anger are sought, not in others, but in our-
selves,—if we pour out our indignation against our own
faults. With respect to others, we ought to be angry, not
at their persons, but at their faults; nor ought we to be
excited to anger by private offences, but by zeal for the
glory of the Lord. Lastly, our anger, after a reasonable
time, ought to be allowed to subside, without mixing steel
with hes violence of carnal passions.

Let not the sun go down. It is scarcely possible, however,
but that we shall sometimes give way to improper and sin-
ful passion,—so strong is the tendency of the human mind
to what is evil. Paul therefore suggests a second remedy,
that we shall quickly suppress our anger, and not suffer it
to gather strength by continuance. The first remedy was,
Be ye angry, and sin not; but, as the great weakness of
human nature renders this exceedingly difficult, the next is—
not to cherish wrath too long in our minds, or allow it suffi-
cicnt time to become strong. He enjoins accordingly, Jet
not the sun go down upon your wrath. Ifat any time we
happen to be angry, let us endeavour to be appeased before
the sun has set.

27. Neither give place (r@ Siaborw) to the devil. I am
aware of the interpretation which some give of this passage.

CHAP. Iv. 28. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 299

Erasmus, who translates it, “neither give place to the
Slanderer,” (calumniatori,) shews plainly that he understood
it as referrmg to malicious men. But I have no doubt,
Paul’s intention was, to guard us against allowing Satan to
take possession of our minds, and, by keeping in his hands
this citadel, to do whatever he pleases. We feel every day
how impossible, or, at least, how difficult it is to cure long-
continued hatred. What is the cause of this, but that,
instead of resisting the devil, we yield up to him the posses-
sion of our heart? Before the poison of hatred has found
its way into the heart, anger must be thoroughly dislodged.

28. Let him that stole steal no more. This includes not
merely the grosser thefts which are punished by human
laws, but those of a more concealed nature, which do not fall
under the cognizance of men,—every kind of depredation
by which we seize the property of others. But he does not
simply forbid us to take that property in an unjust or unlaw-
ful manner. He enjoins us to assist our brethren, as far as
lies in our power.

That he may have to give to him that needeth. “ Thou
who formerly stolest must not only obtain thy subsistence by
lawful and harmless toil, but must give assistance to others.”
He is first required to labour, working with his hands, that
he may not supply his wants at the expense of his brethren,
but may support life by honourable labour. But the love
which we owe to our neighbour carries us much farther. No
one must live to himself alone, and neglect others. All must
labour to supply each other’s necessities.

But a question arises, does Paul oblige all men to labour
with their hands? This would be excessively hard. I reply,
the meaning is plain, if it be duly considered. Every man
is forbidden to steal. But many people are in the habit of
pleading want, and that excuse is obviated by enjoining them
rather to labour (wadXov Se xomtadtw) with their hands. As
if he had said, “ No condition, however hard or disagreeable,
can entitle any man to do injury to another, or even to re-
frain from contributing to the necessities of his brethren.

The thing which is good. This latter clause, which con-
tains an argument from the greater to the less, gives no

300 CHAP. Iv. 30.

COMMENTARIES ON THE
small additional strength to the exhortation. As there are
many occupations which do little to promote the lawful en-
joyments of men, he recommends to them to’choose those
employments which yield the greatest advantage to their
neighbours. We need not wonder at this. Ifthose trades
which can have no other effect than to lead men into immor-
ality, were denounced by heathens—and Cicero among the
number—as highly disgraceful, would an apostle of Christ

reckon them among the lawful callings of God ?

29. Let no corrupt communica-
tion proceed out of your mouth,
but that which is good to the use
of edifying, that it may minister
grace unto the hearers.

30. And grieve not the Holy
Spirit of God, whereby ye are
sealed unto the day of redemption.

31. Let all bitterness, and wrath,
and anger, and clamour, and evil-
speaking, be put away from you,
with all malice.

29. Omnis sermo spurcus ex ore
vestro non procedat ; sed si quis est
bonus ad edificationem usus, ut det
gratiam audientibus.

30. Et ne contristetis Spiritum
Sanctum Dei, quo obsignati estis in
diem redemptionis.

31. Omnis amarulentia, et in-
dignatio, et ira, et clamor, et male-
dicentia, removeatur a vobis cum
omni malitia. .

29. No filthy speech. He first forbids believers to use any
filthy language, including under this name all those expres-
sions which are wont to be employed for the purpose of
inflaming lust. Not satisfied with the removal of the vice,
he enjoins them to frame their discourse for edification. In
another Epistle he says, “‘ Let your speech be seasoned with
salt.” (Col. iv. 6.) Here a different phrase is employed, 7
any (speech) be good to the use of edifying, which means
simply, if at be useful. The genitive, of wse, may no doubt
be viewed, according to the Hebrew idiom, as put for an ad-
jective, so that for the edification of use (apos oixodomny THs
xpetas) may mean for useful edrfication ; but when I con-
sider how frequently, and in how extensive a meaning, the
metaphor of edifying occurs in Paul’s writings, I prefer the
former exposition. The edification of use will thus mean the
progress of our edification, for to edify is to carry forward.
To explain the manner in which this is done, he adds, that
it may impart grace to the hearers, meaning by the word
grace, comfort, advice, and everything that aids the salvation
of the soul.

30. And grieve not. As the Holy Spirit dwells in us, to him

ae

CHAP. LV. 30. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 301

every part of our soul and of our body ought to be devoted.
But if we give ourselves up to aught that is impure, we may be
said to drive him away from making his abode with us ; and,
to express this stil] more familiarly, human affections, such
as joy and grief, areascribed to the Holy Spirit.’ Endeavour
that the Holy Spirit may dwell cheerfully with you, as ina
pleasant and joyful dwelling, and give him no occasion for
grief. Some take a different view of it, that we grieve the
Holy Spirit in others, when we offend by filthy language, or,
in any other way, godly brethren, who are led by the Spirit
of God. (Rom. viii. 14.) Whatever is contrary to godliness
is not only disrelished by godly ears, but is no sooner heard
than it produces in them deep grief and pain. But that
Paul’s meaning was different appears from what follows.

By whom ye are sealed. As God has sealed us by his
Spirit, we grieve him when we do not follow his guidance,
but pollute ourselves by wicked passions. No language can
adequately express this solemn truth, that the Holy Spirit
rejoices and is glad on our account, when we are obedient to
him in all things, and neither think nor speak anything, but
what is pure and holy ; and, on the other hand, is grieved,
when we admit anything into our minds that is unworthy of
our calling. Now, let any man reflect what shocking wicked-
ness there must be in grieving the Holy Spirit to such a de-
gree as to compel him to withdraw from us. The same mode
of speaking is used by the prophet Isaiah, but in a different
sense; for he merely says, that they “ vexed his Holy Spi-
rit,’ (Isaiah Ixiii. 10,) in the same sense in which we are
accustomed to speak of vexing the mind of a man. By
whom ye are sealed, The Spirit of God is the seal, by which

* © According to our view, the verse is a summation of the argument—
the climax of appeal. If Christians shall persist in falsehood and deviation
from the truth—if they shall indulge in fitful rage, or cherish sullen and
malignant dislikes—if they shall be characterized by dishonesty, or insipid
and corrupt language, then do they grieve the Holy Spirit of God; for all
this perverse insubordination is in utter antagonism to the essence and
operations of Him who is the Spirit of truth; and inspires the love of it ;
who assumed, as a fitting symbol, the form of a dove, and creates meekness
and forbearance ; and who, as the Spirit of holiness, leads to the apprecia-
tion of all that is just in action, noble in sentiment, and healthful and
edifying in speech.” —Eadie.

302 COMMENTARIES ON THE ~ CHAP. Iv. 32.

we are distinguished from the wicked, and which is im-
pressed on our hearts as a sure evidence of adoption.

Unto the day of redemption,—that is, till God conduct us
into the possession of the promised inheritance. That day
is usually called the day of redemption, because we shall then
be at length delivered out of all our afflictions. It is unne-
cessary to make any observations on this phrase, in addition
to what have already been made in expounding Rom. viii.
23, and 1 Cor.i. 80. In this passage, the word sealed may
have a different meaning from that which it usually bears,
—that God has impressed his Spirit as his mark upon us,
that he may recognise as his children those whom he per-
ceives to bear that mark.

31. Letall bitterness. We again condemns anger ; but, on
the present occasion, views in connection with it those
offences by which it is usually accompanied, such as noisy
disputes and reproaches. Between wrath and anger (Supov
kai opynv) there is little difference, except that the former
denotes the power, and the latter the act; but here, the
only difference is, that anger is a more sudden attack. The
correction of all the rest will be greatly aided by the re-
moval of malice. By this term he expresses that depravity
of mind which is opposed to humanity and justice, and
which is usually called malignity.

32. And be ye kind one to an- 32. Sitis autem mutud comes,
other, tender-hearted, forgiving one misericordes, condonantes vobis in-
another, even as God for Christ’s ter vos, quemadmodum et Deus
sake hath forgiven you. vobis in Christo condonavit.

32. And be ye kind one to another. With bitterness he con-
trasts kindness, or gentleness of countenance, language, and
manners, And as this virtue will never reign in us, unless
attended by compassion, (cvuymabea,) he recommends to us to
be tender-hearted. This will lead us not only to sympathize
with the distresses of our brethren, as if they were our own,
but to cultivate that true humanity which is affected by
everything that happens to them, in the same manner as if
we were in their situation. The contrary of this is the cruelty
of those iron-hearted, barbarous men, by whom the sufferings
of others are beheld without any concern whatever.

cmap, v. 1. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 303

Forgiving one another. The Greek word here rendered
forgiving, (xapifopevor éavTois,) is supposed by some to mean
beneficence. Erasmus, accordingly, renders it (largientes)
bountiful. Though the word admits of that meaning, yet
the context induces me to prefer the other view, that we
should be ready to forgive. It may sometimes happen, that
men are kind and tender-hearted, and yet, when they re-
ceive improper treatment, do not so easily forgive injuries.
That those whose kindness of heart in other respects disposes
them to acts of humanity, may not fail in their duty through
the ingratitude of men, he exhorts them to discover a readi-
ness to lay aside resentment. To give his exhortation the
greater weight, he holds out the example of God, who has
forgiven to us, through Christ, far more than any mortal man
can forgive to his brethren.'

CHAPTER. V.

1. Be ye therefore followers of
God, as dear children ;

2. And walk in love, as Christ
also hath loved us, and hath given
himself for us an offering and a sa-
crifice to God for a sweet-smelling
savour.

1. Be ye therefore followers.

1. Sitis ergo imitatores Dei
quemadmodum filii dilecti ;

2. Et ambulate in charitate
quemadmodum et Christus nos di-
lexit, ac se ipsum tradidit pro nobis
oblationem et hostiam Deo, in odo-
rem bone fragrantiz.

The same principle is followed

out and enforced by the consideration that children ought to
be like their father. He reminds us that we are the children
of God, and that therefore we ought, as far as possible, to
resemble Him in acts of kindness. It is impossible not to
perceive, that the division of chapters, in the present instance,
is particularly unhappy, as it has made a separation between
parts of the subject which are very closely related. If, then,
we are the children of God, we ought to be followers of God.
Christ also declares, that, unless we shew kindness to the
unworthy, we cannot be the children of our heavenly Father.
“ Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to
them that hate you, and pray for them who despitefully use
you and persecute you ; that ye may be the children of your
Father which is in heaven ; for he maketh his sun to rise on

* See Catvin’s Commentary on Philippians, Colossians, &¢., p. 213.

304 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. v. 2.

the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and
on the unjust.” (Matt. v. 44, 45.)’

2. And walk in love as Christ also hath loved us. Having
called on us to imitate God, he now calls on us to imitate
Christ, who is our true model. We ought to embrace each
other with that love with which Christ has embraced us, for
what we perceive in Christ is our true guide.

And gave himself for us. This was a remarkable proof
of the highest love. Forgetful, as it were, of himself, Christ
spared not his own life, that he might redeem us from death.
If we desire to be partakers of this benefit, we must culti-
vate similar affections toward our neighbours. Not that any
of us has reached such high perfection, but all must aim and
strive according to the measure of their ability.

An offering and a sacrifice to God of a sweet smelling sa-
vour. While this statement leads us to admire the grace of
Christ, it bears directly on the present subject. No lan-
guage, indeed, can fully represent the consequences and
efficacy of Christ’s death. This is the only price by which
we are reconciled to God. he doctrine of faith on this sub-
ject holds the highest rank. But the more extraordinary the
discoveries which have reached us of the Redeemer’s kind-
ness, the more strongly are we bound to his service. Besides,
we may infer from Paul’s words, that, unless we love one
another, none of our duties will be acceptable in the sight of
God. Ifthe reconciliation of men, effected by Christ, was
a sacrifice of a sweet smelling savour,” we, too, shall be
“unto God a sweet savour,” (2 Cor. 11. 15,) when this holy
perfume is spread over us. To this applies the saying of
Christ, “Leave thy gift before the altar, and go and be re-
conciled to thy brother.” (Matt. v. 24.)

1 « To institute an action against one who has injured us is human; not

to take revenge on him is the part of a philosopher; but to compensate
him with benefits is divine, and makes men of earth followers of the Father
who is in heaven.”—Clem. Ep., quoted by Eadie.
? « The offering, in being presented to God, was meant to be, and actu-
ally was, a sweet savour to Him. ‘The phrase is based on the peculiar
sacrificial idiom of the Old Testament. (Gen. viii. 21; Lev. i. 9, 13, 17;
ii. 9,12; iii. 5.) It is used typically in 2 Cor. ii. 14, and is explained and
expanded in Philip. iv. 18—‘ a sacrifice acceptable, well-pleasing to God.’
The burning of spices or incense, so fragrant to the Oriental senses, is
figuratively applied to God.”—Eadie.

ee ee ee ee ae

ae

CHAP. V. 4.

3. But fornication, and all un-
cleanness, or covetousness, let it not
be once named among you, as becom-
eth saints ;

4. Neither filthiness, nor foolish
talking, nor jesting, which are
not convenient; but rather giving
of thanks.

5. For this ye know, that no
whoremonger, nor unclean person,
nor covetous man, who is an idola-
ter, hath any inheritance in the
kingdom of Christ and of God.

6. Let no man deceive you with
vain words: for because of these
things cometh the wrath of God
upon the children of disobedience.

7. Be not ye therefore partakers
with them.

EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 3505

3. Seortatio verd et omnis im-
mundities, aut avaritia, ne nomi-
nentur quidem inter vos ; sicut decet
sanctos.

4. Turpitudo, stultiloquium, fa-
cetia; quee non conveniunt, sed ma-
gis gratia.

5. Hoe enim scitis, quod omnis
scortator, vel immundus, vel avarus,
qui est idololatra, non obtinebit hee-
reditatem in regno Christi et Dei.

6. Nemo vos decipiat inanibus ver-
bis; nam propter hee venit ira Dei
in filios inobedientes (vel, incredu-
los.)

7. Ne sitis igitur illorum consor-
tes.

3. But fornication. This chapter, and the third of the
Epistle to the Colossians, contain many parallel passages,
which an intelligent reader will be at no loss to compare
without my assistance. Three things are here enumerated,
which the apostle desires Christians to hold in such abhor-
rence, that they shall not even be named, or, in other words,
shall be entirely unknown among them. By uncleanness
he means all base and impure lusts ; so that this word differs
from fornication, only as the whole class differs from a single
department. The third is covetousness, which is nothing
more than an immoderate desire of gain. To this precept
he adds the authoritative declaration, that he demands no-
thing from them but that which becometh saints,—manifestly
excluding from the number and fellowship of the saints all
fornicators, and impure and covetous persons.

4. Neither filthiness. To those three—other three are now
added. By jilthiness I understand all that is indecent or
inconsistent with the modesty of the godly. By foolish talk-
ing I understand conversations that are either unprofitably
or wickedly foolish ; and as it frequently happens that idle
talk is concealed under the garb of jesting or wit, he ex-
pressly mentions pleasantry,—which is so agreeable as to
seem worthy of commendation,—and condemns it as a part
of foolish talking. The Greek word evtpamredia is often used
by heathen writers, in a good sense, for that ready and in-

U

306 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. V. 5.

genious pleasantry in which able and intelligent men may
properly indulge. But as it is exceedingly difficult to be
witty without becoming satirical, and as jesting itself carries
in it a portion of conceit not at all in keeping with the cha-
racter of a godly man, Paul very properly dissuades from
this practice.’ Of all the three offences now mentioned,
Paul declares that they are not convenient, or, in other words,
that they are inconsistent with Christian duty.

But rather grace. Others render it giving of thanks; but
I prefer Jerome’s interpretation. With the vices which had
been formerly mentioned it was proper that Paul should
contrast something of a general character, displaying itself
in all our communications with each other. If he had said,
“ While they take pleasure in idle or abusive talk, do you
give thanks to God,” the exhortation would have been too
limited. The Greek word, evyapictia, though it usually
signifies Thanksgiving, admits of being translated Grace.
« All our conversations ought to be, in the true sense of the
words, sweet and graceful; and this end will be gained if
the useful and the agreeable are properly mingled.” :

5. For this ye know. If his readers were at all captivated
by the allurements of those vices which have been enumer-
ated, the consequence would be that they would lend a
hesitating or careless ear to his admonitions. He deter-
mines, therefore, to alarm them by this weighty and dread-
ful threatening, that such vices shut against us the kingdom
of God. By appealing to their own knowledge, he intimates

that this was no doubtful matter. Some might think it

harsh, or inconsistent with the Divine goodness, that all
who have incurred the guilt of fornication or covetousness

* « He doth not condemn the innocent pleasantries and mirth of a cheer-
ful conversation; but that kind of obscene discourse which we mean by
the French expression of double entendre ; when men, for the sake of mer-
riment and sport, convey lewd sentiments and thoughts to others, under
chaste and cleanly expressions. This seems to be the proper meaning of
the word cirgar:Aix, jesting, in this place. The original sense of it is, ‘an
artfully turned discourse.’ And accordingly it is used either in a good
sense, to denote proper wit; or in a bad sense, to signify any kind of lewd
and scurrilous discourse, that artfully conveys an ill meaning. And as it
is here joined with < filthiness and foolish talking,’ it is plain that the
apostle intended by it such ambiguous forms of speech as are intended to
raise mirth by dishonest and corrupt meanings.”—Chandler.

PS)

Ky

CHAP. V. 6. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 307

are excluded from the inheritance of the kingdom of heaven.
But the answer is easy. Paul does not say that those who
have fallen into those sins, and recovered from them, are
not pardoned, but pronounces sentence on the sins them-
selves. After addressing the Corinthians in the same lan-
guage, he adds: “ And such were some of you; but ye are
washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified, in the
name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.”
(1 Cor, vi. 11.) When men have repented, and thus give
evidence that they are reconciled to God, they are no longer
the same persons that they formerly were, But let all for-
nicators, or unclean or coyetous persons, so long as they
continue such, be assured that they have no friendship with
God, and are deprived of all hope of salvation. It is called
the kingdom of Christ and of God, because God hath given
it to his Son that we may obtain it through him.

Nor covetous man, who is an idolater. ‘‘ Covetousness,”
as he says in another place, “is idolatry,” (Col. iii. 5,)—-not
the idolatry which is so frequently condemned in Scripture,
but one of a different description. All covetous men must
deny God, and put wealth in his place; such is their blind
greediness of wretched gain. But why does Paul attribute
to covetousness alone what belongs equally to other carnal
passions? In what respect is covetousness better entitled
to this disgraceful name than ambition, or than a vain con-
fidence in ourselves? I answer, that this disease is widely
spread, and not a few minds have caught the infection.
Nay, it is not reckoned a disease, but receives, on the con-
trary, very general commendation. This accounts for the

-harshness of Paul’s language, which arose from a desire to

tear from our hearts the false view.

6. Let no man deceive you. There have always been un-
godly dogs,’ by whom the threatenings of the prophets were
made the subject of merriment and ridicule. We find such
characters in our own day. In all ages, indeed, Satan
raises up sorcerers of this description, who endeavour by
unholy scoffs to escape the Divine judgment, and who ac-
tually exercise a kind of fascination over consciences not

* « Mastins.” “ Mastiffs.”

308 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. V. 6.
sufficiently established in the fear of God. “ This is a trivial
fault. Fornication is viewed by God as a light matter.
Under the law of grace God is not so cruel. He has not
formed us so as to be our own executioners. The frailty of
nature excuses us.” These and similar expressions are often
used by the scoffers. Paul, on the contrary, exclaims that
we must guard against that sophistry by which consciences
are ensnared to their ruin.

For because of these things cometh the wrath of God. If
we consider the present tense to be here used, agreeably to
the Hebrew idiom, for the future, these words are a threaten-
ing of the last judgment. But I agree with those who take
the word cometh in an indefinite sense,—the word of God
usually cometh,—as reminding them of the ordinary judg-
ments of God which were executed before their own eyes.
And certainly, if we were not blind and slothful, there
are sufficiently numerous examples by which God testifies
that he is the just avenger of such crimes,—examples of
the pouring out of divine indignation, privately against indi-
viduals, and publicly against cities, and kings, and nations.

Upon the children of disobedience,—upon unbelievers or
rebels, This expression must not be overlooked. Paul is
now addressing believers, and his object is not so much to
present alarming views of their own danger, as to rouse them
to behold reflected in wicked men, as in mirrors, the dread-
ful judgments of God. God does not make himself an object
of terror to his children, that they may avoid him, but does
all that can be done in a fatherly manner, to draw them to
himself. They ought to learn this lesson, not to involve
themselves in a dangerous fellowship with the acre
whose ruin is thus faece

Pe

8. For ye were sometimes dark-
ness, but now are ye light in the
Lord: walk as children of light ;

9. (For the fruit of the Spirit is
in all goodness, and righteousness,
and truth ;)

10. Proving what is acceptable
unto the Lord.

11. And have no fellowship with
the unfruitful works of darkness,
but rather reprove them.

8. Eratis aliquando tenebre; nune
autem lux in Domino; tanquam filii
lucis ambulate ;

9. (Fructus enim lucis in omni
bonitate, et justitia, et veritate :)

10. Probantes, quid sit acceptum
Deo.

11. Et ne communicetis operibus
infructuosis tenebrarum; quin po-
tius etiam redarguitote.

4
.
q
4
:

CHAP. V.9. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 309

12. For it is a shame even to 12. Que enim clam fiunt ab illis,
speak of those things which are turpe est vel dicere.
done of them in secret.

13. But all things that are re- 13. Omnia autem, dum coargu-
proved are made manifest by the untur, a luce manifestantur; omne
light: for whatsoever doth make enim quod manifestat lux est,
manifest is light.

14. Wherefore he saith, Awake 14. Quamobrem dicit: Surge qui
thou that sleepest,and arise fromthe dormis, et exsurge ex mortuis; et
dead, and Christ shall give thee light. illucescet tibi Christus.

8. For ye were once darkness. The precepts which imme-
diately follow derive greater weight from the motives with
which they are mingled. Having spoken of unbelievers,
and warned the Ephesians not to become partakers of their
crimes and their destruction, he argues still further, that
they ought to differ widely from the life and conduct of those
men. At the same time, in order to guard them against
ingratitude to God, he refreshes their remembrance of their
own past life. ‘“ You ought,” he says, “to be very different
persons from what you formerly were; for out of darkness
God hath made you light.” Darkness is the name here
given to the whole nature of man before regeneration ; for,
where the brightness of God does not shine, there is nothing
but fearful darkness. Light, again, is the name given to
those who are enlightened by the Spirit of God; for imme-
diately afterwards in the same sense, he calls them children
of light, and draws the inference, that they ought to walk
in light, because by the mercy of God they had been rescued
from darkness. Observe here, we are said to be light in the
Lord, because, while we are out of Christ, all is under the do-
minion of Satan, whom we know to be the Prince of darkness.

9. For the fruit of the light.' This parenthesis is intro-
duced, to. point out the road in which the children of light
ought to walk. A complete description is not given, but a
few parts of a holy and pious life are introduced by way of
example. To give them a general view of duty, their atten-
tion is again directed to the will of God. Whoever desires

1 The English version reads, The fruit of the Spirit ; Calvin’s, The Fruit
of light. Without attempting, in a brief note, to balance the various
readings, it may be proper to mention, that, instead of rvstuaros, (of the
Spirit) many Greek manuscripts have guwrés, (of the light,) and the latter
reading has been adopted by Griesbach.— Ed.

310 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. v. LI.

to live in a proper and safe manner, let him resolve to obey
God, and to take his will as the rule. To regulate life en-
tirely by his command is, as he says in another Epistle, a
reasonable service, (Rom. xii. 1,) or, as another inspired man
expresses it, Z’o obey is better than sacrifice. (1 Sam. xy. 22.)

I wonder how the word Spirit (avetparos) has crept into ~

many Greek manuscripts, as the other reading is more con-
sistent,—the fruit of the light. Paul’s meaning indeed is not
affected; for in either case it will be this, that believers

must walk in the light, because they are “children of the

light.” This is done, when they do not live according to
their own will, but devote themselves entirely to obedience
to God,—when they undertake nothing but by his com-
mand. Besides, such obedience is testified by its fruits,
such as goodness, righteousness, and truth.

11. And have no fellowship. As “the children of light”
dwell amidst the darkness, or, in other words, in the midst

of “a perverse and crooked generation,” (Deut. xxxii. 5,)— -

there is good reason for warning them to keep themselves
apart from wicked actions. It is not enough that we do
not, of our own accord, undertake anything wicked. We
must beware of joining or assisting those who do wrong. In
short, we must abstain from giving any consent, or advice,
or approbation, or assistance; for in all these ways wé have
fellowship. And lest any one should imagine that he has
done his duty, merely by not conniving, he adds, but rather
reprove them.’ Such a course is opposed to all dissimulation.
Where a manifest offence is committed against God, every
man will be eager to vindicate himself from any share in the
guilt, but very few will guard against connivance ; nearly all
will practise some kind of dissimulation. But rather than
the truth of God shall not remain unshaken, let a hundred
worlds perish.

* « Most expositors supply rods, meaning the doers of the works; and
they render éaéyxers, reprove, viz., by wholesome correction. This, however,
is so harsh, that it is better (with Theodoret, the Pesch. Syr., Wakefield,
Schleusner, Photius, and Wahl) to supply zére, that is, teye rod cxéraus,
and to interpret 2Aéyx7¢, ‘bring to the light, and evince their evil nature,’
namely, by shewing in contrast the opposite virtues. This sense is re-

quired by verse 13, with which the present closely connects; and so tAbyxw
is used both in the Scriptural and Classieal writers.”—Bloomifield.

i,
.

CHAP. V. 12. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. S11

The word ér¢yyew, which is translated reprove, answers
to the metaphor of darkness ; for it literally signifies to drag
forth to the light what was formerly unknown. As ungodly
men flatter themselves in their vices, (Ps. xxxvi. 2,) and wish
their crimes to be concealed, or to be reckoned virtues, Paul
enjoins that they shall be reproved. He calls them wnfrwit-
ful; because they not only do no good, but are absolutely
hurtful.

12. Which are done by them in secret. This shews the ad-
vantage of reproving the ungodly. If they do but escape
the eyes of men, there is no crime, however shocking to be
mentioned, which they will not perpetrate. ‘To use a com-
mon proverb, “ Night has no shame.” What is the reason
of this? Sunk in the darkness of ignorance, they neither
see their own baseness, nor think that it is seen by God and
by angels. But let the torch of God’s word be brought for-
ward, and their eyes are opened. Then they begin to blush
and be ashamed. By their advices and reproofs the saints
enlighten blind unbelievers, and drag forth from their conceal-
ment to the light of day those who were sunk in ignorance.

When unbelievers keep the doors of their houses shut,
and withdraw from the view of men, it 7s a@ shame even to
speak of the baseness and wickedness with which they rush
into ‘all manner of licentiousness. Would they thus lay
aside all shame, and give loose reins to their passions, if
darkness did not give them courage,—if they did not enter-
tain the hope that what is hidden will pass unpunished ?
But do you, by reproving them, bring forward the light,
that they may be ashamed of their own baseness. Such
shame, arising fiom an acknowledgment of baseness, is the
first step to repentance. “If there come in one that believ-
eth not, or one unlearned, he is convinced of all, he is judged
of all; and thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest ;
and so, falling down on his face, he worships God.” (1 Cor.
xiv. 24,25.) It may be thought that the word is used here
in an unusual acceptation. Krasmus, by substituting another
word for reprove, has destroyed the whole meaning; for
Paul’s object is to shew that it will not be without advan-
tage if the works of unbelievers are reproyed.

ole COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. v. 14.

13. But when all things are reproved. As the participle, |

(havepovmevov,) which is translated, that which doth make ma-
nifest, is in the middle voice, it admits either of a passive or
active signification. It may be either rendered, that which is
made manifest, or that which doth make manvfest. If the pas-
sive signification, which is followed by the ancient translator,
be preferred, the word light will denote, as formerly, that which
gives light, and the meaning will be, that evil works, which
had been concealed, will stand out to public view, when they
have been made manifest by the word of God : If the participle
be taken actively, there will still be two ways of expounding
it: 1. Whatever manifests is hight; 2. That which manifests
anything or all things, is light ; taking the singular as put
for the plural number. There is no difficulty, as Erasmus
dreaded, about the article ; for the apostles are not in the
habit of adhering very strictly to rule about placing every
article, and even among elegant writers this mode of using
it would be allowable. The context appears to me to shew
clearly that this is Paul’s meaning. He had exhorted them
to reprove the evil works of unbelievers, and thus to drag
them out of darkness ; and he now adds, that what he en-
joins upon them is the proper business of light—to make ma-
nifest. Itis Light, he says, which makes all things manifest ;
and hence it followed that they were unworthy of the name,
if they did not bring to light what was involved in darkness.

14. Wherefore he saith. Interpreters are at great pains to
discover the passage of Scripture which Paul appears to
quote, and which is nowhere to be found. I shall state my
opinion. He first exhibits Christ as speaking by his minis-
ters; for this is the ordinary message which is every day
delivered by preachers of the gospel. What other object do
they propose than to raise the dead to life? “ The hour is
coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of
the Son of God, and they that hear shall live.” (John y.
25.) Let us now attend to the context. “ Unbelievers,”
Paul had said, “must be reproved, that, being brought forth
to the light, they may begin to acknowledge their wicked-
ness.” He therefore represents Christ as uttering a voice
which is constantly heard in the preaching of the gospel,

ee ee ee

CHAP. V. 15. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 3135
Arise, thou that sleepest. The allusion, I have no doubt, is
to the prophecies which relate to Christ’s kingdom; such as
that of Isaiah, “ Arise, shine ; for thy light 1s come, and the
glory of Jehovah is risen upon thee.” (Isa. lx. 1.) Let us
therefore endeavour, as far as lies in our power, to rouse the
sleeping and dead, that we may bring them to the light of
Christ.

And Christ shall give thee light. This does not mean that,
when we have risen from death to life, his light begins to
shine upon us, as if our performances came before his grace.
All that is intended is to show that, when Christ enlightens
us, we rise from death to life,—and thus to confirm the for-
mer statement, that unbelievers must be recovered from their
blindness, in order to be saved. Instead of emudavoe, he shall
give light, some copies read édayeras, he shall touch ; but this
reading is an evident blunder, and may be dismissed without

any argument."

15. See then that ye walk cir-
cumspectly, not as fools, but as
wise,

16. Redeeming the time, because
the days are evil.

17. Wherefore be ye not unwise,
but understanding what the will of
the Lord is.

18. And be not drunk with wine,
wherein is excess; but be filled with
the Spirit ;

19. Speaking to yourselves in
psalms, and hymns, and spiritual
songs, singing and making melody
in your heart to the Lord;

20. Giving thanks always for all
things unto God and the Father in
the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

15. Videte igitur, quomodo ex-
acté ambuletis; non tanquam insi-
pientes, sed tanquam sapientes :

16. Redimentes tempus, quoniam
dies mali sunt.

17. Quare ne sitis imprudentes,
sed intelligentes, quae sit voluntas
Domini.

18. Et ne inebriemini vino, in quo
inest lascivia, sed impleamini Spi-
ritu.

19. Vobis ipsis loquentes psalmis
et hymnis, et canticis spiritualibus,
canentes et psallentes in corde vestro,
Domino ;

20. Gratias agentes semper de
omnibus, in nomine Domini nostri
Tesu Christi, Deo et Patri.

15. See then. If believers must not neglect to drive away
the darkness of others by their own brightness, how much

‘ « The various spellings of the verb, and the change of ¢ into ¥, have
arisen from inadvertence. This variation is as old as the days of Chrysos-
tom ; for he notices it, and decides for the common reading. The verb
itself occurs nowhere else in the New Testament, though it is once found
in the ‘ Acts of Thomas,’ § 34. That light from Christ flashes upon the
awakened and resuscitated; nay, it awakens and resuscitates them. As
it streams upon the dead, it startles them into life. It illuminates every
topic on which a sinner needs information, with a pure, steady, and mel-
lowed radiance.” —-Eadie.

314 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. Vv. 17.

less ought-they to be blind as to their own conduct in life?
What darkness shall conceal those on whom Christ, the Sun
of righteousness, has arisen? Placed, as it were, in a crowded
theatre, they ought to live under the eye of God and of an-
gels. Let them stand in awe of these witnesses, though they
may be concealed from the view of all mortals. Dismissing
the metaphor of darkness and light, he enjoins them to re-
gulate their life circumspectly as wise men,’ who have been
educated by the Lord in the school of true wisdom. Our
understanding must shew itself by taking God for our guide
and instructor, to teach us his own will.

16. Redeeming the time. By a consideration of the time
he enforces his exhortation. The days are evil. Everything
around us tends to corrupt and mislead ; so that it is difficult
for godly persons, who walk among so many thorns, to escape
unhurt. Such corruption having infected the age, the devil
appears to have obtained tyrannical sway ; so that time can-
not be dedicated to God without being in some way redeemed.
And what shall be the price of its redemption? To withdraw
from the endless variety of allurements which would easily
lead us astray ; to rid ourselves from the cares and pleasures
of the world; and, in a word, to abandon every hinderance.
Let us be eager to recover it in every possible way, and let
the numerous offences and arduous toil, which many are in
the habit of alleging as an apology for indolence, serve rather
to awaken our vigilance.

17. Wherefore be ye not unwise. We whose “ delight is
in the law of the Lord, and who meditates in it day and
night,” (Psalm i. 2,) will triumph over every obstacle which
Satan can oppose to his progress. Whence comes it that
some wander, others fall, others strike against a rock, others
go away,—but because we allow ourselves to be gradually
blinded by Satan, and lose sight of the will of God, which

1 «In 2h as doopa, dAX ws codoi we have an antithetical parallelism, (such
as is found in the Classical as well as the Scriptural writers,) where, for
emphasis’ sake, a proposition is expressed both affirmatively and negative-
ly, as in John i. 20, auorsynce xal obx rovicwro, * he confessed and denied
not.’ By écop% and copod are meant the persons just before denoted by

xoros and as, and, a little after, termed dQgoves and cuvievres, by a frequent
Hebrew idiom, whereby Wisdom stands for Virtue, and Folly for Vice.”
—-Bloomfield.

CHAP. Vv. 19. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. O15

we ought constantly to remember? And observe, that Paul
defines wisdom to be, understanding what the will of the Lord
zs. “ How shalla young man,” says David, “ direct his way ?
By attending to thy word, O Lord.” (Ps. exix.9.) He speaks
of youths, but it is the same wisdom which belongs to old men.

18. And be not drunk with wine. When he enjoins them
not to be drunk, he forbids excessive and immoderate drink-
ing of every description. “ Be not intemperate in drinking.”

In which’ is lasciviousness. The Greek word dcwrtla, which
is translated “ lasciviousness,” points out the evils which arise
from drunkenness. I understand by it all that is implied in
a wanton and dissolute life ; for to translate it luxury, would
quite enfeeble the sense. The meaning therefore is, that
drunkards throw off quickly every restraint of modesty
or shame; that where wine reigns, profligacy natufally follows;
and consequently, that all who have any regard to modera-
tion or decency ought to avoid and abhor drunkenness.

The children of this world are accustomed to indulge in
deep drinking as an excitement to mirth. Such carnal ex-
citement is contrasted with that holy joy of which the Spirit
of God is the Author, and which produces entirely opposite
effects. To what does drunkenness lead? 'o unbounded licen-
tiousness,—to unbridled, indecent merriment. And to what
does spiritual joy lead, when it is most strongly excited 2?

19. To psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs. These are
truly pleasant and delightful fruits. The Spirit means “joy
in the Holy Ghost,” (Rom. xiv. 17;) and the exhortation,
be ye filled, (ver. 18,) alludes to deep drinking, with which it
is indirectly contrasted. Speaking to themselves, is speaking
among themselves. Nor does he enjoin them to sing inwardly

1 « The antecedent to ¢ is not iss, but the entire clause—‘ in which
vicious inebriety there is profligacy.’ The term, if it be derived from «
privative and c#f~, is the picture of a sad result. The adjective écwres is
used by the classics to signify one who is, as we say, ‘ past redemption.’
The adverb éc#ras is used of the conduct of the prodigal son in the far
country. (Luke xv. 13.)”— Eadie.

2 “ This is a pleasant kind of drunkenness, which stimulates you, not to
wanton dances or foolish songs, by which the Gentiles render homage to
their deities, but to psalms, to hynins, to spiritual songs, by which you re-
joice, and sing, and offer praise to the Lord, not with indecent roaring, as

is the custom of drunk people, but inwardly in your minds and hearts.”—
Erasmus.

316 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. V 12.
or alone ; for he immediately adds, singing in your hearts ;
as if he had said, “ Let your praises be not merely on the
tongue, as hypocrites do, but from the heart.” What may
be the exact difference between psalms and hymns, or be-
tween hymns and songs, it is not easy to determine, though
a few remarks on this subject. shall be offered on a future
occasion.’ The appellation spiritual, given to these songs,
is strikingly appropriate ; for the songs most frequently used
are almost always on trifling subjects, and very far from
being chaste.

20. Ging thanks always. He means that this is a plea-
sure which ought never to lose its relish; that this is an
exercise of which we ought never to weary. Innumerable
benefits which we receive from God yield fresh cause of joy
and thankstiving. At the same time, he reminds believers
that it will argue ungodly and disgraceful sloth, if they shall
not always give thanks,—if their whole life shall not be

spent in the study and exercise of praising God.

21. Submitting yourselves one to
another in the fear of God.

22. Wives, submit yourselves unto
your own husbands, as unto the
Lord.

23. For the husband is the head
of the wife, even as Christ is the
head of the church; and he is the
saviour of the body.

24. Therefore, as the church is
subject unto Christ, so le¢ the wives
be to their own husbands in every
thing.

25. Husbands, love your wives,
even as Christ also loved the church,
and gave himself for it ;

26. That he might sanctify and
cleanse it with the washing of water
by the word ;

27. That he might present it to
himself a glorious church, not having
spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing ;
but that it should be holy, and with-
out blemish.

21. Submit yourselves.

21. Subditi estote invicem in ti-
more Christi (vel, Dei.)

22. Mulieres suis maritis subditee
sint tanquam Domino ;

23. Quoniam vir est caput uxoris,
quemadmodum et Christus caput
est Ecclesize, qui idem est servator
corporis.

24. Czterum quemadmodum Ec-
clesia subest Christo, ita et mulieres
suis maritis in omnibus.

25. Viri, diligite vestras uxores ;
quemadmodum et Christus dilexit
Ecclesiam, et se ipsum tradidit pro ea,

26. Ut eam sanctificaret, mun-
dans lavacro aque in Verbo;

27. Ut sisteret eam sibi gloriosam
Ecclesiam, non habentem maculam,
aut rugam, aut quicquam tale; sed
ut esset sancta et irreprehensibilis.

God has bound us so strongly

to each other, that no man ought to endeavour to avoid sub-

* See Caxvin’s Com. on Philippians, Colossians, &c., p. 217.

by

CHAP. V. 23. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. oly

jection ; and where love reigns, mutual services will be ren-
dered. I do not except even kings and governors, whose
very authority is held for the service of the community.
It is highly proper that all should be exhorted to be subject
to each other in their turn.

But as nothing is more irksome to the mind of man than -
this mutual subjection, he directs us to the fear of Christ,
who alone can subdue our fierceness, that we may not refuse
the yoke, and can humble our pride, that we may not be
ashamed of serving our neighbours. It does not much affect
the sense, whether we interpret the fear of Christ, passively,
thus,—let us submit to our neighbours, because we fear
Christ ; or actively,—let us submit to them, because the
minds of all godly persons ought to be influenced by such
fear under the reign of Christ. Some Greek manuscripts
read, “ the fear of God.” The change may have been intro-
duced by some person, who thought that the other phrase,
the fear of Christ, though by far the most appropriate, sound-
ed a little harsh."

22. Wives, submit yourselves. He comes now to the various
conditions of life; for, besides the universal bond of subjec-
tion, some are more closely bound to each other, according
to their respective callings. The community at large is
divided, as it were, into so many yokes, out of which arises
mutual obligation. There is, first, the yoke of marriage be-
tween husband and wife ;—secondly, the yoke which binds
parents and children ;—and, thirdly, the yoke which con-
nects masters and servants. By this arrangement there are
six different classes, for each of whom Paul lays down pecu-
liar duties. He begins with wives, whom he enjoins to be
subject to their husbands, in the same manner as to Christ,—
as to the Lord. Not that the authority is equal, but wives
cannot obey Christ without yielding obedience to their hus-
bands.

23. For the husband is the head of the wife. This is the
reason assigned why wives should be obedient. Christ has

1 « Here, indeed, there is great reason to think that Xgorod, (instead of
@:0v,) found in very many of the best MSS., ancient Versions, and early
Fathers, (and which has been edited by Griesbach, Vater, Tittmann, and
Scholz,) is the true reading.” —Bloomfield.

318 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. V..25.

appointed the same relation to exist between a husband and
a wife, as between himself and his church. This comparison
ought to produce a stronger impression on their minds, than
the mere declaration that such is the appointment of God.
Two things are here stated. God has given to the husband
authority over the wife; and a resemblance of this autho-_
rity 1s found in Christ, who as the head of the church, as the
husband is of the wife.

And he is the saviour of the body. The pronoun Hz (ards)
is supposed by some to refer to Christ; and, by others, to
the husband. It applies more sei ge in my opinion, to
Christ, but still with a view to the present subject. In this
point, as well as in others, the resemblance ought to hold.
As Christ rules over his church for her salvation, so nothing
yields more. advantage or comfort to the wife than to be sub-
ject to her husband. To refuse that subjection, by means —
of which they might be saved, is to choose destruction.

24, But, as the church is subject to Christ. The particle
but, may lead some to believe that the words, he zs the saviour
of the body, are intended to anticipate an objection. Christ
has, no doubt, this peculiar claim, that he is the Saviour of
the Church: nevertheless, let wives know, that their hus-
bands, though they cannot produce equal claims, have
authority over them, after the example of Christ. I prefer
the former interpretation; for the argument derived from
the word but, (adda,) does not appear to me to have much
weight.

25. Husbands, love your wives. From husbands, on the
other hand, the apostle requires that they cherish toward
their wives no ordinary love; for to them, also, he holds out
the example of Christ,—even as Christ also loved the church.
If they are honoured to bear his image, and to be, in some
measure, his representatives, they ought to resemble him also
in the discharge of duty.

And gave himself for it. This is intended to express the
strong affection which husbands ought to have for their
wives, though he takes occasion, immediately afterwards, to
commend the grace of Christ. Let husbands imitate Christ
in this respect, that he scrupled not to die for his church.

CHAP, V. 26. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 319

One peculiar consequence, indeed, which resulted from his
death,—that by it he redeemed his church,—is altogether
beyond the power of men to imitate.

26. That he might sanctify,—or, that he might separate
it to himself; for such I consider to be the meaning of the
word sanctify. This is accomplished by the forgiveness of
sins, and the regeneration of the Spirit.

Washing it with the washing of water. Having mentioned
the inward and hidden sanctification, he now adds the out-
ward symbol, by which it is visibly confirmed; as if he had
said, that a pledge of that sanctification is held out to us by
baptism. Here it is necessary to guard against unsound
interpretation, lest the wicked superstition of men, as has
frequently happened, change a sacrament into an idol.
When Paul says that we are washed by baptism, his mean-
ing is, that God employs it for declaring to us that we are
washed, and at the same time performs what it represents.
If the truth—or, which is the same thing, the exhibition of
the truth—were not connected with baptism, it would be
improper to say that baptism is the washing of the soul. At
the same time, we must beware of ascribing to the sign, or
to the minister, what belongs to God alone. We must not
> imagine that washing is performed by the minister, or that
water cleanses the pollutions of the soul, which nothing but
the blood of Christ can accomplish. In short, we must beware
of giving any portion of our confidence to the element or to
man; for the true and proper use of the sacrament is to lead us
directly to Christ, and to place all our dependence upon him.

Others again suppose that too much importance is given
to the sign, by saying that baptism is the washing of the
soul, Under the influence of this fear, they labour exceed-
ingly to lessen the force of the eulogium which is here pro-
nounced on baptism. But they are manifestly wrong ; for,
in the first place, the apostle does not say that it is the sign
which washes, but declares it to be exclusively the work of
God. It is God who washes, and the honour of performing
it cannot lawfully be taken from its Author and given to the
sign. But there is no absurdity in saying that God employs
a sign as the outward means. Not that the power of God

320 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. v. 26.

is limited by the sign, but this assistance is accommodated
to the weakness of our capacity. Some are offended at this
view, imagining that it takes from the Holy Spirit a work
which is peculiarly his own, and which is everywhere ascribed
to him in Scripture. But they are mistaken ; for God acts
by the sign in such a manner, that its whole efficacy depends
upon his Spirit. Nothing more is attributed to the sign than
to be an inferior organ, utterly useless in itself, except so
far as it derives its power from another source.

Equally groundless is their fear, that by this interpreta-
tion the freedom of God will be restrained. The grace of
God is not confined to the sign; so that God may not, if he
pleases, bestow it without the aid of the sign. Besides,
many receive the sign who are not made partakers of grace ;
for the sign is common to all, to the good and to the bad
alike ; but the Spirit is bestowed on none but the elect, and
the sign, as we have said, has no efficacy without the Spirit.
The Greek participle xa8apicas, is in the past tense, as if he
had said, “ After having washed.” But, as the Latin lan-
guage has no active participle in the past tense, I chose
rather to disregard this, and to translate it (mundans) wash-
ing, instead of (mundatam) having been washed ; which would
have kept out of view a matter of far greater importance,
namely, that to God alone belongs the work of cleansing.

In the word.’ This is very far from being a superfluous
addition ; for, if the word is taken away, the whole power
of the sacraments is gone. What else are the sacraments
but seals of the word? This single consideration will drive
away superstition. How comes it that superstitious men
are confounded by signs, but because their minds are not
directed to the Word, which would lead them to God? Cer-
tainly, when we look to anything else than to the word,
there is nothing sound, nothing pure; but one absurdity
springs out of another, till at length the signs, which were
appointed by God for the salvation of men, become profane,
and degenerate into gross idolatry. The only difference,
therefore, between the sacraments of the godly and the con-
trivances of unbelievers, is found in the Word.

1 “Par la parolle.” By the word.”

ee ee A

;
9

CHAP. Vv. 27. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 321

By the Word is here meant the promise, which explains
the value and use of the signs. Hence it appears, that the
Papists do not at all observe the signs in a proper manner.
They boast indeed, of having “the Word,’ but appear to
regard it as a sort of enchantment; for they mutter it in
an unknown tongue; as if it were addressed to dead
matter, and not to men. No explanation of the mystery is
made to the people; and in this respect, were there no
other, the sacrament begins to be nothing more than the
dead element of water. Jn the word is equivalent to “ By
the word.”

27. That he might present it to himself. He declares what
is the design of baptism and of our being washed. It is,
that we may live in a holy and unblamable manner before
God. We are washed by Christ, not that we may return to
our pollution, but that we may retain through our life the
purity which we have once received. This is described in
metaphorical language appropriate to his argument.

Not having spot or wrinkle. As the beauty of the wife
produces love in the husband, so Christ adorns the Church
his bride with holiness as a proof of his regard. This meta-
phor contains an allusion to marriage ; but he afterwards
lays aside the figure, and says plainly, that Christ has recon-
ciled the church, that vt might be holy and without blemish.
The true beauty of the church consists in this conjugal chas-
tity, that is, in holiness and purity.

The word present (qapactyjon) implies that the church
ought to be holy, not only in the view of men, but in the
eyes of the Lord; for Paul says, that he might present it to
himself, not that he might shew it to others, though the
fruits of that hidden purity become afterwards evident in
outward works. Pelagians were wont to quote this passage
in order to prove the perfection of righteousness in this life,
but have been successfully answered by Augustine. Paul
does not state what has been done, but for what purpose
Christ has cleansed his church. Now, when a thing is said
to be done that another may afterwards follow, it is idle to
conclude that this latter thing, which ought to follow, has
been already done. We do not deny that the holiness of the

x

o22 COMMENTARIES ON THE

church is already begun ; but,

CHAP. Vv. 29.

so long as there is daily pro-

gress, there cannot be perfection.

28. So ought men to love their
wives as their own bodies: he that
loveth his wife loveth himself.

29. For no man ever yet hated
his own flesh; but nourisheth and
cherisheth it, even as the Lord the
church:

30. For we are members of his
body, of his flesh, and of his bones.

31. For this cause shall a man
leave his father and mother, and
shall be joined unto his wife, and
they two shall be one flesh.

32. This is a great mystery: but
I speak concerning Christ and the
church.

33. Nevertheless, let every one of
you in particular so love his wife
even as himself; and the wife see
that she reverence her husband.

28. Ita viri debent diligere suas
uxores, tanquam sua corpora. Qui
diligit uxorem suam, se ipsum diligit.

29. Nemo enim unquam carnem
suam odio habuit, sed nutrit et
fovet eam; quemadmodum et Chris-
tus Ecclesiam.

30. Quia membra sumus corporis
ejus, ex ejus carne et ex ejus ossibus.

31. Hujus causa relinquet homo
patrem et matrem suam, et adhe-
rebit uxori sue; et erunt duo in
carnem unam. (Gen. ii. 24.)

32. Arcanum hoc magnum est;
ego autem dico in Christo et in
Ecclesia.

33. Czeterim vos quoque singuli,
suam quisque uxorem diligat; mu-
lier autem timeat maritum.

28. He that loveth his wife. An argument is now drawn
from nature itself, to prove that men ought to love their wives.
Every man, by his very nature, loves himself. But no man
can love himself without loving his wife. Therefore, the
man who does not love his wife is a monster. The minor
proposition is proved in this manner. Marriage was ap-
pointed by God on the condition that the two should be
one flesh ; and that this unity may be the more sacred, he
again recommends it to our notice by the consideration of
Christ and his church. Such is the amount of his argument,
which to a certain extent applies universally to human
society. To shew what man owes to man, Isaiah says, “ hide
not thyself from thine own flesh.” (Isa. lviii. 7.) But this
refers to our common nature. Between a man and his wife
there is a far closer relation; for they not only are united
by a resemblance of nature, but by the bond of marriage
have become one man. Whoever considers seriously the
design of marriage cannot but love his wife.

29. Even as Christ the church. He proceeds to enforce
the obligations of marriage by representing to us Christ and
his Church ; for a more powerful example could not have
been adduced. The strong affection which a husband ought

or

CHAP. Vv. 31. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 323

to cherish towards his wife is exemplified by Christ, and an
instance of that unity which belongs to marriage is declared
to exist between himself and the Church. This is a remark-
able passage on the mysterious intercourse which we have
with Christ.

30. For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of
his bones. First, this is no exaggeration, but the simple
truth. Secondly, he does not simply mean that Christ is a
partaker of our nature, but expresses something higher («ai
eupatixatepov) and more emphatic.

31. For this cause. This is an exact quotation from the
writings of Moses. (Gen. 11. 24.) And what does it mean?
As Eve was formed out of the substance of her husband,
and thus was a part of himself; so, if we are the true mem-
bers of Christ, we share his substance, and by this inter-
course unite into one body. In short, Paul describes our
union to Christ, a symbol and pledge of which is given to us
in the ordinance of the supper. Those who talk about the
torture exercised on this passage to make it refer to the
Lord’s supper, while no mention is made of the supper, but of
marriage, are egregiously mistaken. When they admit that
the death of Christ is commemorated in the supper, but not
that such intercourse exists as we assert from the words of
Christ, we quote this passage against them. Paul says that
we are members of his flesh and of his bones. Do we wonder
then, that in the Lord’s supper he holds out his body to be
enjoyed by us, and to nourish us unto eternal life? Thus
we prove that the only union which we maintain to be repre-
sented by the Lord’s supper is here declared in its truth and
consequences by the apostle.

Two subjects are exhibited together; for the spiritual
union between Christ and his church is so treated as to
illustrate the common law of marriage, to which the quota-
tion from Moses relates. He immediately adds, that the
saying is fulfilled in Christ and the church. Every oppor-
tunity which presents itself for proclaiming our obligations
to Christ is readily embraced, but he adapts his illustration
of them to the present subject. It is uncertain whether
Moses introduces Adam as using these words, or gives them

324 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. V. 32.

as an inference drawn by himself from the creation of man.
Nor is it of much consequence which of these views be taken ;
for, in either case, we must hold it to be an announcement
of the will of God, enjoining the duties which men owe to
their wives.

He shall leave his father and mother. As if he had said,
“ Let him rather leave his father and mother than not cleave
to his wife.” The marriage bond, does not set aside the
other duties of mankind, nor are the commandments of God
so inconsistent with each other, that aman cannot be a good
and faithful husband without ceasing to be a dutiful son.
It is altogether a question of degree. Moses draws the com-
parison, in order to express more strongly the close and
sacred union which subsists between husband and wife. A
son is bound by an inviolable law of nature to perform his
duties towards his father ; and when the obligations of a hus-
band towards his wife are declared to be stronger, their force
is the better understood. He who resolves to be a good hus-
band will not fail to perform his filial duties, but will regard
marriage as more sacred than all other ties.

And they two shall be one flesh. They shall be one man, or,
to use a common phrase, they shall constitute one person ;
which certainly would not hold true with regard to any other
kind of relationship. All depends on this, that the wife was
formed of the flesh and bones of her husband. Such is the
union between us and Christ, who in some sort makes us
partakers of his substance. ‘“ We are bone of his bone, and
flesh of his flesh,” (Gen. ii. 23 ;) not because, like ourselves, he
has a human nature, but because, by the power of his Spirit,
he makes us a part of his body, so that from him we derive
our life.

32. Thisis a great mystery. He concludes by expressing
his astonishment at the spiritual union between Christ and
the church. This is a great mystery ; by which he means,
that no language can explain fully what it implies. It is to
no purpose that men fret themselves to comprehend, by the
judgment of the flesh, the manner and character of this
union ; for here the infinite power of the Divine Spirit is
exerted. Those who refuse to admit anything on this subject

CHAP. Vv. 32. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 325

beyond what their own capacity can reach, act an exceed-
ingly foolish part. We tell them that the flesh and blood
of Christ are exhibited to us in the Lord’s supper. “ Explain
to us the manner,” they reply, “or you will not convince us.”
For my own part, Iam overwhelmed by the depth of this
mystery, and am not ashamed to join Paul in acknowledg-
ing at once my ignorance and my admiration. How much
more satisfactory would this be than to follow my carnal
judgment, in undervaluing what Paul declares to be a deep
mystery! Reason itself teaches how we ought to act in
such matters ; for whatever is supernatural is clearly beyond
our own comprehension. Let us therefore labour more to
feel Christ living in us, than to discover the nature of that
intercourse.

We cannot avoid admiring the acuteness of the Papists,
who conclude from the word mystery (uwvotnpuov) that mar-
riage is one of seven sacraments, as if they had the power of
changing water into wine. They enumerate seven sacra-
ments, while Christ has instituted no more than two; and,
to prove that matrimony is one of the seven, they produce
this passage. On what ground? Because the Vulgate has
adopted the word Sacrament (sacramentum) as a translation
of the word Mystery, which the apostle uses. As if Sacra-
ment (sacramentum) did not frequently, among Latin writers,
denote Mystery, or as if Mystery had not been the word em-
ployed by Paul in the same Epistle, when speaking of the
calling of the Gentiles. But the present question is, Has
marriage been appointed as a sacred symbol of the grace of
God, to declare and represent to us something spiritual, such
as Baptism or the Lord’s Supper? They have no ground
for such an assertion, unless it be that they have been de-
ceived by the doubtful signification of a Latin word, or rather
by their ignorance of the Greek language. If the simple fact
had been observed, that the word used by Paul is Mystery,
no mistake would ever have occurred.

We see then the hammer and anvil with which they fabri-
cated this sacrament. But they have given another proof
of their indolence in not attending to the correction which
is immediately added, But I speak concerning Christ and the

326 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. VI. 1.
church. He intended to give express warning that no man
should understand him as speaking of marriage ; so that his
meaning is more fully expressed than if he had uttered the
former sentiment without any exception. The great mystery
is, that Christ breathes into the church his own life and
power. But who would discover here anything like a sacra-
ment? This blunder arose from the grossest ignorance.

33. Nevertheless, let every one. Having digressed a little
from this subject, though the very digression aided his
design, he adopts the method usually followed in short
precepts, by giving a brief summary of duties. Husbands
are required to love their wives, and wives to fear (po6yraw)
their husbands, understanding by fear that reverence which
will lead them to be submissive. Where reverence does not
exist, there will be no willing subjection.’

CHAPTER VI.

1. Children, obey your parents in
the Lord: for this 1s right.

2. Honour thy father and mother,
(which is the first commandment
with promise, )

3. That it may be well with thee,
and thou mayest live long on the
earth.

4. And, ye fathers, provoke not
your children to wrath; but bring
them up in the nurture and admo-
nition of the Lord.

1. Filii, obedite parentibus vestris
in Domino ; hoc enim est justum.

2. Honora patrem tuum et ma-
trem ; (quod est mandatum primum
cum promissione :)

3. Ut bene tibi sit, et sis longze-
vus super terram.

4. Vos etiam, patres, ne ad iram
provocetis filios vestros; sed edu-
cate eos in disciplina et correptione
Domini.

1. Children, obey. Why does the apostle use the word obey

instead of honour,” which has a greater extent of meaning ?

1 «Qne peculiarity in this injunction has been usually overlooked.
What is instructive on either side is not enforced, but what is necessary to
direct and hallow such an instinct is inculeated. The woman loves in
deep, undying sympathy ; but, to teach her how this fondness should know
and fill its appropriate sphere, she is commanded to obey and honour.
The man, on the other hand, feels that his position is to govern; but, to
shew him what should be the essence and means of his government, he is
enjoined to love.” —Eadie.

2 « Tie properly signifies, ‘ to perform one’s duty to any one;’ and
here reverence must comprehend the cognate offices of affection, care,
and support. The same complexity of sense is observable in the classical
phrase rizv rd» iaresv,” [to reverence the physician. ]—Bloomfield.

— sr a

CHAP. VI. 2. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 327

It is because Obedience is the evidence of that honowr which
children owe to their parents, and is therefore more ear-
nestly enforced. It is likewise more difficult ; for the human
mind recoils from the idea of subjection, and with difficulty
allows itself to be placed under the control of another. Ex-
perience shews how rare this virtue is; for do we find one
among a thousand that is obedient to his parents? By a
figure of speech, a part is here put for the whole, but it is
the most important part, and is necessarily accompanied by
all the others.

In the Lord. Besides the law of nature, which is acknow-
leged by all nations, the obedience of children is enforced by
the authority of God. Hence it follows, that parents are to
be obeyed, so far only as is consistent with piety to God,
which comes first in order. If the command of God is the
rule by which the submission of children is to be regulated,
it would be foolish to suppose that the performance of this
duty could lead away from God himself.

For this is right. This is added in order to restrain the
fierceness which, we have already said, appears to be na-
tural to almost all men. He proves it to be right, because
God has commanded it ; for we are not at liberty to dispute,
or call in question, the appointment of him whose will is the
unerring rule of goodness and righteousness. That honour
should be represented as including obedience is not surpris-
ing ; for mere ceremony is of no value in the sight of God.
The precept, honour thy father and mother, comprehends
all the duties by which the sincere affection and respect
of children to their parents can be expressed.

2. Which is the first commandment with promise. The
promises annexed to the commandments are intended to ex-
cite our hopes, and to impart a greater cheerfulness to our
obedience ; and therefore Paul uses this as a kind of season-
ing to render the submission, which he enjoins on children,
more pleasant and agreeable. He does not merely say,
that:God ‘has offered a reward to him who obeys his father
and mother, but that such an offer is peculiar to this com-
mandment. If each of the commandments had its own pro-
mises, there would have been no ground for the commend-

328 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. VI. 4.

ation bestowed in the present instance. But this is the
first commandment, Paul tells us, which God has been
pleased, as it were, to seal by a remarkable promise. There
is some difficulty here ; for the second commandment like-
wise contains a promise, “I am the Lord thy God, who
shew mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and
keep my commandments.” (Exod. xx. 5, 6.) But this is
universal, applying indiscriminately to the whole law, and
cannot be said to be annexed to that commandment. Paul’s
assertion still holds true, that no other commandment but
that which enjoins the obedience due by children to their
parents is distinguished by a promise.

3. That it may be well with thee. The promise is—a long
life ; from which we are led to understand that the present
life is not to be overlooked among the gifts of God. On
this and other kindred subjects I must refer my reader to
the Institutes of the Christian Religion ;' satisfying myself
at present with saying, in a few words, that the reward pro-
mised to the obedience of children is highly appropriate.
Those who shew kindness.to their parents from whom they
derived life, are assured by God, that in this life it will be
well with them.

And that thou mayest live long on the earth. Moses ex-
pressly mentions the land of Canaan, “ that thy days may be
long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.”
(Exod. xx. 12.) Beyond this the Jews could not conceive
of any life more happy or desirable. But as the same divine
blessing isextended to the whole world, Paul has properly
left out the mention of a place, the peculiar distinction of
which lasted only till the coming of Christ.

4. And, ye fathers. Parents, on the other hand, are ex-
horted not to irritate their children by unreasonable severity.
This would excite hatred, and would lead them to throw off
the yoke altogether. Accordingly, in writing to the Colos-
sians, he adds, “lest they be discouraged.” (Col. iii. 21.)
Kind and liberal treatment has rather a tendency to cherish
reverence for their parents, and to increase the cheerfulness
and activity of their obedience, while a harsh and unkind

1 See vol. i. p. 468.

oe

CHAP. VI. 5. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 329
manner rouses them to obstinacy, and destroys the natural
affections. But Paul goes on to say, “ let them be fondly
cherished ;” for the Greek word, (éxtpédere,) which is trans-
lated bring wp, unquestionably conveys the idea of gentle-
ness and forbearance. To guard them, however, against the
opposite and frequent evil of excessive indulgence, he again
draws the rein which he had slackened, and adds, in the
instruction and reproof of the Lord. It is not the will of
God that parents, in the exercise of kindness, shall spare
and corrupt their children. Let their conduct towards their
children be at once mild and considerate, so as to guide them
in the fear of the Lord, and correct them also when they go
astray. That age is so apt to become wanton, that it re-
quires frequent admonition and restraint.

5. Servants, be obedient to them
that are your masters according to
the flesh, with fear and trembling,
in singleness of your heart, as unto
Christ ;

6. Not with eye-service, as men-
pleasers; but as the servants of
Christ, doing the will of God from
the heart ;

7. With good will doing service,
as to the Lord, and not to men:

8. Knowing, that whatsoever good
thing any man doeth, the same shall
he receive of the Lord, whether he
be bond or free.

9. And, ye masters, do the same
things unto them, forbearing threat-
ening: knowing that your Master
also is in heaven; neither is there
respect of persons with him.

5. Servi, obedite dominis secun-
dum carnem, cum timore et tremore
in simplicitate cordis vestri, tanquam
Christo ;

6. Non quasi ad oculum servien-
tes, tanqguam hominibus studentes
placere, sed tanquam servi Christi,
facientes voluntatem Dei ex animo,

7. Cum benevolentia, servientes
Domino, et non hominibus;

8. Scientes quod unusquisque
quicquid boni fecerit, recipiet a Do-
mino, sive servus, sive liber,

9. Et vos, domini, mutuum offici-
um preestate erga illos, remittentes
minas ; scientes quod illorum et
vester Dominus est in ceelis ; et non
est apud eum personarum acceptio. -

5. Servants, be obedient. His exhortation to servants is

so much the more earnest, on account of the hardship and
bitterness of their condition, which renders it more difficult
to be endured. And he does not speak merely of outward
obedience, but says more about fear willingly rendered ;
for it 1s a very rare occurrence to find one who willingly
yields himself to the control of another. The servants
(SovAor) whom he immediately addresses were not hired ser-
vants, like those of the present day, but slaves, such as were
in ancient times, whose slavery was perpetual, unless,

330 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. VI. 7.

through the favour of their masters, they obtained freedom,
—whom their masters bought with money, that they might
impose upon them the most degrading employments, and
might, with the full protection of the law, exercise over
them the power of life and death. To such he says, obey
your masters, lest they should vainly imagine that carnal
freedom had been procured for them by the gospel.

But as some of the worst men were compelled by the dread
of punishment, he distinguishes between Christian and un-
godly servants, by the feelings which they cherished. With
fear and trembling ; that is, with the careful respect which
springs from an honest purpose. It can hardly be expected,
however, that so much deference will be paid to a mere
man, unless a higher authority shall enforce the obligation ;
and therefore he adds, as doing the will of God. (Ver. 6.)
Hence it follows, that it is not enough if their obedience sa-
tisfy the eyes of men; for God requires truth and sincerity
of heart. When they serve their masters faithfully, they
obey God. As if he had said, “ Do not suppose that by the
judgment of men you were thrown into slavery. It is God
who has laid upon you this burden, who has placed you in
the power of your masters. He who conscientiously endea-
vours to render what he owes to his master, performs his duty
not to man only, but to God.”

With good will doing service. (Ver. 7.) This is contrasted
with the suppressed indignation which swells the bosom of
slaves. Though they dare not openly break out or give
signs of obstinacy, their dislike of the authority exercised
over them is so strong, that it is with the greatest unwilling-
ness and reluctance that they obey their masters.

Whoever reads the accounts of the dispositions and con-
duct of slaves, which are scattered through the writings of
the ancients, will be at no loss to perceive that the number
of injunctions here given does not exceed that of the diseases
which prevailed among this class, and which it was of im-
portance to cure. But the same instruction applies to male
and female servants of our own times. , It is God who
appoints and regulates all the arrangements of society. As
the condition of servants is much more agreeable than that

5 =

CHAP. V1.9. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 331

of slaves in ancient times, they ought to consider themselves
far less excusable, if they do not endeavour, in every way, to
comply with Paul’s injunctions.

Masters according to the flesh. (Ver. 5.) This expression
is used to soften the harsh aspect of slavery. He reminds
them that their spiritual freedom, which was by far the most
desirable, remained untouched.

Eye-service (6¢0adpodovreia) is mentioned ; because al-
most all servants are addicted to flattery, but, as soon as
their master’s back is turned, indulge freely in contempt, or
perhaps in ridicule. Paul therefore enjoins godly persons to
keep at the greatest distance from such deceitful pretences.

8. Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth.
What a powerful consolation! However unworthy, however
ungrateful or cruel, their masters may be, God will accept
their services as rendered to himself. When servants take
into account the pride and arrogance of their masters, they
often become more indolent from the thought that their
labour is thrown away. But Paul informs them that their
reward is laid up with God for services which appear to be
ill bestowed on unfeeling men ; and that there is no reason,
therefore, why they should be led aside from the path of
duty. He adds, whether bond or free. No distinction is
made between a slave and a free man. The world is wont
to set little value on the labours of slaves ; but God esteems
them as highly as the duties of kings. In his estimate, the
outward station is thrown aside, and each is judged accord-
ing to the uprightness of his heart.

9. And ye masters. In the treatment of their slaves, the
laws granted to masters a vast amount of power. Whatever
had thus been sanctioned by the civil code was regarded by
many as in itself lawful. To such an extent did their cruelty
in some instances proceed, that the Roman emperors were
forced to restrain their tyranny. But though no royal edicts
had ever been issued for the protection of slaves, God allows
to masters no power over them beyond what is consistent
with the law of love. When philosophers attempt to give to
the principles of equity their full effect in restraining the
excess of severity to slaves, they inculcate that masters

332 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. VI. 9.

ought to treat them in the same manner as hired servants.
But they never look beyond utility ; and, in judging even of
that, they inquire only what is advantageous to the head of
the family, or conducive to good order. The Apostle pro-
ceeds on a very different principle. He lays down what is
lawful according to the Divine appointment, and how far
they, too, are debtors to their servants,

Do the same things to them. “ Perform the duty which on
your part you owe to them.” What he calls in another
Epistle, (ro Sékavov Kai tHY ioornta,) that which is just and
equal, is precisely what, in this passage, he calls the same
things, (ra ava.) And what is this but the law of analogy ?
Masters and servants are not indeed on the same level; but
there is a mutual law which binds them. By this law, ser-
vants are placed under the authority of their masters; and,
by the same law, due regard being had to the difference of
their station, masters lie under certain obligations to their
servants. This analogy is greatly misunderstood ; because
men do not try it by the law of love, which is the only true
standard. Such is the import of Paul’s phrase, the same
things ; for we are all ready enough to demand what is due
to ourselves ; but, when our own duty comes to be per-
formed, every one attempts to plead exemption. It is
chiefly, however, among persons of authority and rank that
injustice of this sort prevails.

Forbearing threatenings. Every expression of disdain,
arising from the pride of masters, is included in the single
word, threatenings. They are charged not to assume a lordly
air or a terrific attitude, as if they were constantly threat-
ening some evil against their servants, when they have
occasion to address them. Threatenings, and every kind of
barbarity, originate in this, that masters look upon their
servants as if they had been born for their sake alone, and
treat them as if they were of no more value than cattle.
Under this one description, Paul forbids every kind of dis-
dainful and barbarous treatment.

Their Master and yours. A very necessary warning.
What is there which we will not dare to attempt against our
inferiors, if they haye no ability to resist, and no means of

CHAP. V1.9. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 333
obtaining redress,—if no avenger, no protector appears, none
who will be moved by compassion to listen to their complaints?
It happens here, in short, according to the common proverb,
that Impunity is the mother of Licentiousness. But Paul
here reminds them, that, while masters possess authority
over their servants, they have themselves the same Master.
in heaven, to whom they must render an account.

And there is no respect of persons with him. A regard to
persons blinds our eyes, so as to leave no room for law or
justice ; but Paul affirms that it is of no value in the sight
of God. By person is meant anything about a man which
does not belong to the real question, and which we take
into account in forming a judgment. Relationship, beauty,
rank, wealth, friendship, and everything of this sort, gain
our favour ; while the opposite qualities produce contempt
and sometimes hatred. As those absurd feelings arising
from the sight of a person have the greatest possible influ-
ence on human judgments, those who are invested with
power are apt to flatter themselves, as if God would counte-
nance such corruptions. ‘‘ Who is he that God should re-
gard him, or defend his interest against mine?” Paul, on
the contrary, informs masters that they are mistaken if they
suppose that their servants will be of little or no account
before God, because they are so before men. “God is no
respecter of persons,” (Acts x. 34,) and the cause of the
meanest man will not be a whit less regarded by him than
that of the loftiest monarch.

10. Finally, my brethren, be
strong in the Lord, and in the power
of his might.

11. Put on the whole armour of
God, that ye may be able to stand
against the wiles of the devil.

12. For we wrestle not against
flesh and blood, but against princi-
palities, against powers, against the
rulers of the darkness of this world,
against spiritual wickedness in high
places.

13. Wherefore take unto you
the whole armour of God, that ye
may be able to withstand in the evil
day, and having done all, to stand.

10. Quod superest, fratres mei,
sitis fortes in Domino, et in robore
potentie ipsius.

11. Induite totam armaturam
Dei, ut possitis stare adversus insi-
dias Diaboli.

12. Quia non est nobis lucta ad-
versus carnem et sanguinem, sed
adversus principatus, adversus po-
testates, adversus mundanos princi-
pes tenebrarum seculi hujus, adver-
sus spirituales malitias in ecelestibus.

13. Quapropter assumite totam
armaturam Dei, ut possitis resistere
in die malo, et omnibus peractis
stare.

334 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. Vi. 11.

10. Finally. Resuming his general exhortations, he again
enjoins them to be strong,—to summon up courage and
vigour ; for there is always much to enfeeble us, and we are
ill fitted to resist. But when our weakness is considered, an
exhortation like this would have no effect, unless the Lord
were present, and stretched out his hand to render assist-
ance, or rather, unless he supplied us with all the power.
Paul therefore adds, in the Lord. As if he had said, “ You
have no right to reply, that you have not the ability ; forall
that I require of you is, be strong in the Lord.’ To explain
his meaning more fully, he adds, in the power of his might,
which tends greatly to increase our confidence, particularly
as it shews the remarkable assistance which God usually
bestows upon believers. If the Lord aids us by his mighty
power, we have no reason to shrink from the combat. But
it will be asked, What purpose did it serve to enjoin the
Ephesians to be strong in the Lord’s mighty power, which
they could not of themselves accomplish? I answer, there
are two clauses here which must be considered. He exhorts
them to be courageous, but at the same time reminds them
to ask from God a supply of their own deficiencies, and pro-
mises that, in answer to their prayers, the power of God will
be displayed.

11. Put on the whole armour. God has furnished us
with various defensive weapons, provided we do not indo-
lently refuse what is offered. But we are almost all charge-
able with carelessness and hesitation in using the offered
grace ; just as if a soldier, about to meet the enemy, should
take his helmet, and neglect his shield. To correct this se-
curity, or, we should rather say, this indolence, Paul borrows
a comparison from the military art, and bids us put on the
whole armour of God. We ought to be prepared on all sides,
so as to want nothing. The Lord offers to us arms for re-
pelling every kind of attack. It remains for us to apply
them to use, and not leave them hanging on the wall. To
quicken our vigilance, he reminds us that we must not only
engage in open warfare, but that we have a crafty and insi-
dious foe to encounter, who frequently lies in ambush ; for

ne

CHAP. VI. 12. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 300

such is the import of the apostle’s phrase, THE WILES' (ras
peOobelas) of the devil.

12. For we wrestle” not. To impress them still more
deeply with their danger, he points out the nature of the
enemy, which he illustrates by a comparative statement, Vot
against flesh and blood. The meaning is, that our difficul-
ties are far greater than if we had to fight with men. There
we resist human strength, sword is opposed to sword, man
contends with man, force is met by force, and skill by skill;
but here the case is widely different. All amounts to this,
that our enemies are such as no human power can withstand.
By flesh and blood the apostle denotes men, who are so de-
nominated in order to contrast them with spiritual assail-
ants. This is no bodily struggle.

Let us remember this when the injurious treatment of
others provokes us to revenge. Our natural disposition
would lead us to direct all cur exertions against the men
themselves; but this foolish desire will be restrained by the
consideration that the men who annoy us are nothing more
than darts thrown by the hand of Satan. While we are
employed in destroying those darts, we lay ourselves open
to be wounded on all sides. To wrestle with flesh and blood
will not only be useless, but highly pernicious. We must

1 « Plutarch tells us, (Symp. 1. 2. p. 638,) that wrestling was the most
artful and subtle of all the ancient games, and that the name of it (7¢An)
was derived from a word, which signifies to throw a man down by deceit and
eraft. And it is certain that persons who understand this exercise have
many fetches, and turns, and changes of posture, which they make use of to
supplant and trip up their adversaries. And it is with great justice, that a
state of persecution is compared with it ; since many are the arts, arising
from the terrors of worldly evil on the one hand, and the natural love which
men have to life, liberty, plenty, and the pleasures of life, on the other, that
the devil makes use of to circumvent and foil them.”—Chandler.

2 “T1¢An is properly agymnastic term; but the Apostle often unites
military with agonistic metaphors; and here the agonistic is not less
suitable than the military. So inasimilar passage of Max. Tyr. Diss. y.
9, vol. i. p. 79, ed. Reisk, we have mention of Socrates wrestling with
Melitus, with bonds and poison; next, the philosopher Plato wrestling
with a tyrant’s anger, a rough sea, and the greatest dangers; then, Xeno-
phon struggling with the prejudices of Tissaphernes, the snares of Arius,
the treachery of Meno, and royal machinations; and, lastly, Diogenes
struggling with adversaries even more formidable, namely, poverty, in-
famy, hunger, and cold.”—Bloomfield. i

336 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. VI. 12. ~

go straight to the enemy, who attacks and wounds us from
his concealment,—who slays before he appears.

But to return to Paul. Ue describes our enemy as for-
midable, not to overwhelm us with fear, but to quicken our
diligence and earnestness; for there is a middle course to
be observed. When the enemy is neglected, he does his ut-
most to oppress us with sloth, and afterwards disarms us by
terror ; so that, ere the engagement has commenced, we are
vanquished. By speaking of the power of the enemy, Paul
labours to keep us more on the alert. He had already called
him the devil, but now employs a variety of epithets, to make
the reader understand that this is not an enemy who may
be safely despised.

Against principalities, against powers. Still, his object
in producing alarm is not to fill us with dismay, but to
excite us to caution. He calls them xoopoxpatopas, that is,
princes of the world; but he explains himself more fully by
adding—of the darkness of the world. The devil reigns in
the world, because the world is nothing else than darkness.

Hence it follows, that the corruption of the world gives way.

to the kingdom of the devil; for he could not reside ina
pure and upright creature of God, but all arises from the
sinfulness of men. By darkness, it is almost unnecessary to
say, are meant unbelief and ignorance of God, with the con-
sequences to which they lead. As the whole world is covered
with darkness, the devil is called “ the prince of this world.”
(John xiv. 30.)

By calling it wickedness, he denotes the malignity and
cruelty of the devil, and, at the same time, reminds us that
the utmost caution is necessary to prevent him from gaining
an advantage. For the same reason, the epithet spiritual is
applied ; for, when the enemy is invisible, our danger is
greater. There is emphasis, too, in the phrase, in heavenly
places ; for the elevated station from which the attack is made
gives us greater trouble and difficulty.

An argument drawn from this passage by the Manicheans,
to support their wild notion of two principles, is easily re-
futed. They supposed the devil to be (av7/Oeov) an antago-
nist deity, whom the righteous God would not subdue with-

Se ee

cHAP. vi. 13. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 337

out great exertion. For Paul does not ascribe to devils a
principality, which they seize without the consent, and main-
tain in spite of the opposition, of the Divine Being,—but a
principality which, as Scripture everywhere asserts, God, in
righteous judgment, yields to them over the wicked. The
inguiry is, not what power they have in opposition to God,
but how far they ought to excite our alarm, and keep us on
our guard. Nor is any countenance here given to the be-
lief, that the devil has formed, and keeps for himself, the
middle region of the air. Paul does not assign to them a
fixed territory, which they can call their own, but merely
intimates that they are engaged in hostility, and occupy an
elevated station.

13. Wherefore take unto you. Though our enemy is so
powerful, Paul does not infer that we must throw away our
spears, but that we must prepare our minds for the battle.
A promise of victory is, indeed, involved in the exhortation,
that ye may be able. If we only put on the whole armour of
God, and fight valiantly to the end, we shall certainly stand.
On any other supposition, we would be discouraged by the
number and variety of the contests; and therefore he adds,
in the evil day. By this expression he rouses them from
security, bids them prepare themselves for hard, painful,
and dangerous conflicts, and, at the same time, animates
them with the hope of victory ; for amidst the greatest dan-
gers they will be safe. And having done all. They are thus
directed to cherish confidence through the whole course of
life. There will be no danger which may not be successfully
met by the power of God; nor will any who, with this assist-
ance, fight against Satan, fail in the day of battle.

14. Stand therefore, having your 14. State igitur succincti lumbos
loins girt about withtruth, andhaving veritate, et induti thoracem justitiz,
on the breastplate of righteousness ;

15. And your feet shod with the 15. Et calceati pedes praepara-
‘ preparation of the gospel of peace; _tione evangelii pacis;

16. Above all, taking the shield 16. In omnibus assumpto scuto
of faith, wherewith ye shall be able _ fidei, quo possitis omnia tela maligni
to quench all the fiery darts of the ignita exstinguere.
wicked.

17. And take the helmet of sal- 17. Et galeam salutaris accipite,

vation, and the sword of the Spirit, et gladium Spiritus, qui est verbum
which is the word of God: Dei;

Y

338

18. Praying always with all prayer
and supplication in the Spirit, and
watching thereunto with all per-
severance and supplication for all
saints ;

19. And for me, that utterance
may be given unto me, that I may
open my mouth boldly, to make
known the mystery of the gospel,

20. For which I am an ambassa-
dor in bonds; that therem I may
speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

14. Stand therefore. Now

COMMENTARIES ON THE

CHAP. VI. 15.

18. Per omnem precationem et
orationem omni tempore precantes
in Spiritu, et in hoc ipsum vigilantes,
cum omni assiduitate et depreca-
tione pro omnibus sanctis;

19. Et pro me, ut mihi detur ser-
mo in apertione oris.mei cum fiducia,
ut patefaciam mysterium evangelii ;

20. Pro quo legatione fungor in
catena; ut confidenter me geram in
eo, quemadmodum oportet me loqui.

follows a description of the

arms which they were enjoined to wear. We must not, how-
ever, inquire very minutely into the meaning of each word;
for an allusion to military customs is all that was intended.
Nothing can be more idle than the extraordinary pains which
some have taken to discover the reason why righteousness is
made a breastplate, instead of a girdle. Paul’s design was
to touch briefly on the most important points required in a
Christian, and to adapt them to the comparison which he
had already used. |

Truth, which means sincerity of mind, is compared to a
girdle. Now, a girdle was, in ancient times, one of the most
important parts of military armour. Our attention is thus
directed to the fountain of sincerity ; for the purity of the
gospel ought to remove from our minds all guile, and from
our hearts all hypocrisy. Secondly, he recommends righ-
teousness, and desires that it should be a breastplate for
protecting the breast. Some imagine that this refers to a
freely bestowed righteousness, or the imputation of righ-
teousness, by which pardon of sin is obtained. But such
matters ought not, I think, to have been mentioned on the
present occasion ; for the subject now under discussion is a
blameless life. He enjoins us to be adorned, first, with in-
tegrity, and next with a devout and holy life.

15. And your feet shod. The allusion, if I mistake not,
is to the military greaves ; for they were always reckoned a
part of the armour, and were even used for domestic pur-
poses. As soldiers covered their legs and feet to protect
them against cold and other injuries, so we must be shod
with the gospel, if we would pass unhurt through the world.

CHAP. vi. 16. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 339

It is the gospel of peace, and it is so called, as every reader
must perceive, from its effects ; for it is the message of our
reconciliation to God, and nothing else gives peace to the
conscience. But what is the meaning of the word prepara-
tion? Some explain it as an injunction to be prepared for
the gospel; but “it is the effect of the gospel which I con-
sider to be likewise expressed by this term. We are enjoined
to lay aside every hinderance, and to be prepared both for
journey and for war. By nature we dislike exertion, and
want agility. A rough road and many other obstacles retard
our progress, and we are discouraged by the smallest annoy-
ance. On these accounts, Paul holds out the gospel as the
fittest means for undertaking and performing the expedition.
Erasmus proposes a circumlocution, (ut sitis parati,) that ye
may be prepared ; but this does not appear to convey the
true meaning.

16. Taking the shield of faith. Though faith and the
word of God are one, yet Paul assigns to them two distinct
offices. I call them one, because the word is the object of
faith, and cannot be applied to our use but by faith ; as faith
again is nothing, and can do nothing, without the word.
But Paul, neglecting so subtle a distinction, allowed him-
self to expatiate at large on the military armour. In the
first Epistle to the Thessalonians he gives both to faith and
to love the name of a breastplate,—“ putting on the breast-
plate of faith and love.” (1 Thess. v. 8.) All that was in-
tended, therefore, was obviously this,—‘‘ He who possesses
the excellencies of character which are here described is
protected on every hand.”

And yet it is not without reason that the most necessary
instruments of warfare—a sword and a shield—are com-
pared to faith, and to the word of God. In the spiritual
combat, these two hold the highest rank. By faith we repel
ali the attacks of the devil, and by the word of God the
enemy himself is slain. If the word of God shall have its
efficacy upon us through faith, we shall be more than suffi-
ciently armed both for opposing the enemy and for putting
him to flight. And what shall we say of those who take from
a Christian people the word of God? Do they not rob them
of the necessary armour, and leave them to perish without a

340 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. vi. 18.

struggle? There is no man of any rank who is not bound to
be a soldier of Christ. But if we enter the field unarmed,
if we want our sword, how shall we sustain that character? ~

Wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the darts. But
quench appears not to be the proper word. Why did he not
use, instead of it, ward off or shake off, or some such word ?
Quench is far more expressive ; for it is adapted to the epi-
thet applied to darts. The darts of Satan are not only sharp
and penetrating, but—what makes them more destructive—
they are fiery. Faith will be found capable, not only of
blunting their edge, but of quenching their heat. “ This,”
says John, “is the victory that overcometh the world, even
our faith.” (1 John v. 4.)

17. And take the helmet of salvation. In a passage already
quoted, (1 Thess. v. 8,) “the hope of salvation” is said to be
a helmet, which I consider to be in the same sense as this
passage. The head is protected by the best helmet, when,
elevated by hope, we look up towards heaven to that salva-
tion which is promised. It is only therefore by becoming
the object of hope that salvation is a helmet.

18. Praying always with all prayer. Waving instructed
the Ephesians to put on their armour, he now enjoins
them to fight by prayer. This is the true method. To
call upon God is the chief exercise of faith and hope; and
it is in this way that we obtain from God every blessing.
Prayer and supplication are not greatly different from each
other, except that supplication is only one branch of prayer.

With all perseverance. We are exhortedsto persevere in
prayer. Every tendency to weariness must be counteracted
by a cheerful performance of the duty. With unabated ar-
dour we must continue our prayers, though-we do not im-
mediately obtain what we desire. If, instead of with all
perseverance, some would render it, with all EARNESTNESS, 1
would have no objection to the change.

But what is the meaning of always? Having already
spoken of continued application, does he twice repeat the
same thing? I think not. When everything flows on pros-
perously,—when we are easy and cheerful, we seldom feel
any strong excitement to prayer,—or rather, we never flee to
God, but when we are driven by some kind of distress. Paul

CHAP. vi. 20. EPISTLE TO THE EPIIESIANS. 341

therefore desires us to allow no opportunity to pass,—on no
occasion to neglect prayer; so that praying always is the
same thing with praying both in prosperity and in adversity.

For all saints. There is not a moment of our life at
which the duty of prayer may not be urged by our own
wants. But unremitting prayer may likewise be enforced
by the consideration, that the necessities of our brethren
ought to move our sympathy. And when is it that some
members of the church are not suffering distress, and needing
our assistance? If, at any time, we are colder or more in-
different about prayer than we ought to be, because we
do not feel the pressure of immediate necessity,—let us
instantly reflect how many of our brethren are worn out
by varied and heavy afflictions,—are weighed down by sore
perplexity, or are reduced to the lowest distress. If reflec-
tions like these do not rouse us from our lethargy, we must
have hearts of stone. But are we to pray for believers
only ? Though the apostle states the claims of the godly, he
does not exclude others. And yet in prayer, as in all other
kind offices, our first care unquestionably is due to the saints.

19. And for me. For himself, in a particular manner, he
enjoins the Ephesians to pray. Hence we infer that there is
no man so richly endowed with gifts as not to need this kind
of assistance from his brethren, so long as he remains in this
world. Who will ever be better entitled to plead exemption
from this necessity than Paul? Yet he entreats the prayers
of his brethren, and not hypocritically, but from an earnest
desire of their aid. And what does he wish that they
should ask for him? That utterance may be given to me.
What then? Was he habitually dumb, or did fear restrain
him from making an open profession of the gospel? By
no means; but there was reason to fear lest his splendid
commencement should not be sustained by his future pro-
gress. Besides, his zeal for proclaiming the gospel was so
ardent that he was never satisfied with his exertions.
And indeed, if we consider the weight and importance of
the subject, we shall all acknowledge that we are very far
from being able to handle it in a proper manner. Accord-
ingly he adds,

20. As I ought to speak ; meaning, that to proclaim the

342 COMMENTARIES ON THE CHAP. VI. 20.

truth of the gospel as it ought to be proclaimed, is a high
and rare attainment. Every word here deserves to be care-
fully weighed. Twice he uses the expression boldly,—
“that I may open my mouth boldly,” “that therein I may
speak boldly.” Fear hinders us from preaching Christ openly
and fearlessly, while the absence of all restraint and disguise
in confessing Christ is demanded from his ministers. Paul
does not ask for himself the powers of an acute debater, or,
I should rather say, of a dexterous sophist, that he might
shield himself from his enemies by false pretences. It is, that
I may open my mouth, to make a clear and strong confession ;
for when the mouth is half shut, the sounds which it utters
are doubtful and confused. To open the mouth, therefore, is
to speak with perfect freedom, without the smallest dread.

But does not Paul discover unbelief, when he entertains
doubts as to his own stedfastness, and implores the interces-
sion of others? No. He does not, like unbelievers, seek a
remedy which is contrary to the will of God, or inconsistent
with his word. The only aids on which he relies are those
which he knows to be sanctioned by the Divine promise and
approbation. It is the command of God, that believers shall
pray for one another. How consoling then must it be to
each of them to learn that the care of his salvation is en-
joined on all the rest, and to be informed by God himself
that the prayers of others on his behalf are not poured out
in vain! Would it be lawful to refuse what the Lord himself
has offered? Each believer, no doubt, ought to have been
satisfied with the Divine assurance, that as often as he pray-
ed he would be heard. But if, in addition to all the other
manifestations of his kindness, God were pleased to declare
that he will listen to the prayers of others in our behalf,
would it be proper that this bounty should be slighted, or
rather, ought we not to embrace it with open arms?

Let us therefore remember that Paul, when he resorted
to the intercessions of his brethren, was influenced by no
distrust or hesitation. His eagerness to obtain them arose
from his resolution that no privilege which the Lord had
given him should be overlooked. How absurdly then do
Papists conclude from Paul’s example, that we ought to pray
to the dead! Paul was writing to the Ephesians, to whom he

CHAP. VI. 21.

had it in his power to communicate his sentiments.
what intercourse have we with the dead?

EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS.

343

But
As well might

they argue that we ought to invite angels to our feasts and
entertainments, because among men friendship is promoted

by such kind offices.

21. But that ye also may know
my affairs, and how I do, Tychicus,
a beloved brother and faithful minis-
ter in the Lord, shall make known
to you all things :

22. Whom I have sent unto you
for the same purpose, that ye might
know our affairs, and that he might
comfort your hearts.

23. Peace be to the brethren, and
love with faith, from God the Father,
and the Lord Jesus Christ.

24. Grace be with all them that

21. Ut autem sciatis vos etiam
quee cirea me aguntur, quid faciam,
omnia vobis patefaciet Tychicus, di-
lectus frater et fidelis minister in
Domino;

22. Quem misiad vos in eum finem,
ut statum meum cognosceretis, et
consolaretur corda vestra.

23. Pax fratribus, et dilectio cum
fide a Deo Patre et Domino Iesu
Christo.

24. Gratia cum omnibus, qui di-

love our Lord Jesus Christ in sin-
cerity. Amen. Christum in sinceritate. Amen.

21. But that ye alsomay know. Uncertain or false reports
frequently produce uneasiness, chiefly, no doubt, in weak
minds, but sometimes also in thoughtful and steady persons.
To prevent this danger, Paul sends Tychicus, from whom the
Ephesians would receive full information. The holy solici-
tude which Paul felt about the interests of religion, or, to
use his own language, “the care of all the churches,” (2 Cor.
x1. 28,) was thus strikingly evinced. When death stood
constantly before his eyes, neither the dread of death, nor
anxiety about himself, prevented him from making provision
for the most distant churches. Another man would have
said, “ My own affairs require all the attention I can give.
It would be more reasonable that all should run to my assist-
ance, than that they should expect from me the smallest
relief.” But Paul acts a different part, and sends in every
direction to strengthen the churches which he had founded.

Tychicus is commended, that his statements may be more
fully believed. A faithful minister in the Lord. It is not
easy to say, whether this refers to the public ministry of the
church, or to the private attentions which Paul had received
from Tychicus. This uncertainty arises from these two ex-
pressions being connected, a beloved brother and faithful
minister in the Lord. The former refers to Paul, to whom
the second may be supposed also to apply. Iam more in-

ligunt Dominum nostrum I[esum

344 COMMENTARIES ON THE EPHESIANS. CHAP. VI. 24.

clined, however, to understand it as denoting the public
ministry ; for I do not think it probable that Paul would have
sent any man who did not hold such a rank in the church,
as would secure the respectful attention of the Ephesians.

23. Peace be to the brethren. J consider the word peace,
as in the salutations of the Epistles, to mean prosperity. Yet
if the reader shall prefer to view it as signifying harmony,
because, immediately afterwards, Paul mentions love, I do
not object to that interpretation, or rather, it agrees better
with the context. He wishes the Ephesians to be peaceable
and quiet among themselves; and this, he presently adds,
may be obtained by brotherly Jove and by agreement in faith.
From this prayer we learn that fazth and love, as well as
peace itself, are gifts of God bestowed upon us through
Christ,—that they come equally from God the Father and
the Lord Jesus Christ.

24. Grace be with all. The meaning is, “ May God con-
tinue to bestow his favour on all who love Jesus Christ
with a pure conscience!” The Greek word, which I follow
Erasmus in translating sincerity, (€v ap@apoia,) signifies
literally wncorruptedness, which deserves attention on ac-
count of the beauty of the metaphor. Paul intended to state’
indirectly, that, when the heart of man is free from all hypo-
crisy, it will be free from all corruption. This prayer con-
veys to us the instruction, that the only way of enjoying the
light of the Divine countenance is to love sincerely God’s
own Son, in whom his love toward us has been declared and
confirmed. But let there be no hypocrisy ; for most men,
while they are not unwilling to make some professions of
religion, entertain exceedingly low notions of Christ, and
worship him with pretended homage. I wish there were
not so many instances in the present day to prove that
Paul’s admonition, to love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity
is as necessary as ever.

END OF THE COMMENTARIES ON THE
EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS.

A TRANSLATION OF CALVIN’S VERSION

Or

THE EPISTLES OF PAUL

TO THE

GALATIANS AND EPHESIANS.

A TRANSLATION OF CALVIN’S VERSION

OF THE

EPISTLE OF PAUL TO THE GALATIANS.

PCC

12

13

CHAPTER I.

Paul, an apostle, not from men, neither by man, but by
Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the
dead, and all the brethren who are with me, to the churches
of Galatia; grace (be) to you, and peace, from God the Father,
and (from) our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our
sins, that he might deliver us from the present wicked age,
according to the will of God and our Father, to whom (be)
glory for ever and ever. Amen.

I wonder that ye are so soon removed from Christ who
called you in grace,! to another gospel; which is not another
thing, than that there are some who trouble you, and wish to
subvert the gospel of Christ. But although we, or an angel
from heaven, preach the gospel to you otherwise than what
we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we said
before, now also I say again, if any one shall preach the gospel
to you otherwise than what ye have received, let him be ac-
cursed.

For do I now persuade according to men, or according to
God ?2 or do I seek to please men? for if I still pleased men,
I should not be a servant of Christ. But I make known to
you, brethren, concerning the gospel which was preached by
me, that it is not according to man; for I neither received nor
learned it from man, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.
For ye have heard of my conversation, which formerly was in
Judaism ;* that, beyond measure, I persecuted the church of

1 « Par grace, ou, en la grace de Christ.” By grace, or, in the grace
of Christ.”
2« Qu, presche-je des hommes ou de Dieu? ou, humainement, ou,

Divinement
Divinely

?” Or, do I preach from men or from God? or, humanly, or

3»
:

* « Quelle a este autrefois ma conversation en la Loi Judaique.” “ What
was formerly my conversation in the Jewish Law.”

348 NEW TRANSLATION OF THE CHAF. II. 1-6.

14 God, and wasted it, and profited in Judaism! above many my
equals? in my nation, being exceedingly zealous for the tradi-
tions of the fathers.®

15 But after that it pleased God, (who had separated me from

16 my mother’s womb, and (who) called me by his grace,) to re-
veal his son to me, that I might preach him among the Gentiles,

17 immediately I conferred not* with flesh and blood, neither did
I return to Jerusalem, to those who were apostles before me ;
but I went away into Arabia, and again returned to Damascus.

18 Next after three years, I returned to Jerusalem, that I might

19 see Peter; and I abode with him fifteen days. But I saw
none other of the apostles, except James the Lord’s brother.

20 Now the things which I write to you, behold, before God,

21 I do not speak falsely. Afterwards I came into the countries

22 of Syria and Cilicia; and was unknown by face to the

23 churches of Judea, which were in Christ. But there was only
this report among them: He who at one time persecuted us,

24 now preacheth the faith which he formerly was destroying, and
they glorified God in me.

CHAPTER II.

bom,

Next, after fourteen years, I went up again to Jerusalem
2 along with Barnabas, having taken Titus also. And I went
up according to revelation,® and communicated to them the
gospel which I preach among the Gentiles; but privately to
them who were of reputation, lest by any means [I should run,
8 or had run, in vain. But not even Titus, who was with me,
4 being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised ; on account of
false brethren, who had secretly entered in order to spy out
our liberty, which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might
5 bring us into bondage ; to whom we gave place by subjection,
not even for an hour, that the truth of the gospel might remain
with you.
6 But of those who appeared to be something, whatsoever they
formerly were, it is of no consequence to me; (God accepteth
no man’s person, Deut. x. 17 ; 2 Chron. xix. 7; Job xxxiv. 19;
Wisdom vi. 8; Ecclus. xxxv.16; Acts x. 34; Rom. ii. 11;

i“ En la Loy Judaique.” “In the Jewish Law.”

2“ Plusieurs de mes pareils, ou, de mon age.” “Many of my equals,
or, of my age.”

* «Ou, de mes ancestres.” “ Or of my ancestors.”

*« Je ne prins point conseil.” “TI did not take counsel.”

* « Mais ils avoyent seulement ou y dire.” ‘But they had only heard
it said.”

° «Kt y montai par revelation.” “And I went up to it by revelation.”

y p p hg

CHAP. III. l. EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. 349

~I

15
16

1

Eph. vi. 9; Col. iii. 25 ; 1 Pet. i. 17 ;) for they who appeared to
be in estimation communicated nothing to me; but, on the con-
trary, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision
was communicated to me, as that of the circumcision (was) to
Peter; (for he who was effectual in Peter in order to the
apostleship of circumcision, was also effectual in me towards the
Gentiles ;) and James, and Cephas, and John, (who seemed to
be pillars,) having known the grace given to me, gave to me
and to Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, that we might
discharge the apostleship among the Gentiles, and they among
the circumcision. Only that we should be mindful of the poor,
which I also was careful to do.

And when Peter was come to Antioch, I openly withstood
him, because he was worthy of blame. For before that certain
persons came from James, he partook of food along with the
Gentiles ; but when they were come, he withdrew and separated
himself from them, dreading those who were of the circum-
cision. And the other Jews also dissembled along with him,
so that Barnabas also was led aside into their dissimulation.

But when I saw that they did not walk uprightly, according
to the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter before them all: If
thou, being a Jew, livest like Gentiles, and not like Jews, why
compellest thou the Gentiles to live like Jews? We, (who
are) Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, knowing
that man is not justified by works of the law, but through the
faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ,
that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by
the works of the law ; for by works of the law no flesh shall
be justified.

But if, seeking to be justified in Christ, we ourselves also
are found sinners, is Christ therefore the minister of sin? By
no means. For if I build again those things which I destroyed,
I make myself a transgressor. For by the law I am dead to
the law. That I might live to God, I am crucified with
Christ.t. Now it is no longer I that live, but Christ liveth in
me ; and that I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the
Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. I do
not set aside the grace of God; for, if righteousness is by the
law, then Christ is dead in vain.

CHAPTER III.

O foolish Galatians, who hath enchanted you not to obey
the truth, before whose eyes hath been clearly exhibited Jesus

'« Car par la Loy je suis mort a la Loy, et suis crucifié avec Christ, afin
que je vive a Dieu.” “For by the Law I am dead to the Law, and am
crucified with Christ, that I may live to God.”

19

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?« A quoy done sert la Loy

NEW TRANSLATION OF THE CHAP. III. 2-21.

Christ crucified among you? This only I wish to learn from
you; Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by
the preaching of faith? Are ye so foolish, that, having begun
by the Spirit, ye are now completed by the flesh? Have ye
suffered so many things in vain? if it be indeed in vain. He
therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh
miracles among you, (doth he it) by the works of the law, or
by the preaching of faith ?

Even as Abraham believed God, and it was imputed to him
for righteousness, (Gen. xv. 6; Rom. iv. 3; James ii. 23.)
KKnow ye therefore that they who are of faith are the children
of Abraham. And the scripture, because it foresaw! that
God would justify the Gentiles by faith, formerly preached
the gospel to Abraham: In thee shall all nations be blessed.
And so they who are of faith are blessed with believing
Abraham.

For all that are of the works of the law are under a curse;
for it is written, (Deut. xxvii. 26,) Cursed is every one that
continueth not in all things which are written in the book of
the law to do them. Now that by the law no man is justified
before God is evident, for the just by faith shall live. (Hab.
ii. 4; Rom. i. 17; Heb. x. 38.) And the law is not of faith ;
but the man who shall do these things shall live in them.
(Ley. xviii. 5.) Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of
the law, having been made a curse for us; (for it is written,
(Deut. xxi. 23,) Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree ;)
that the blessing of Abraham may come upon the Gentiles by
Christ Jesus; that we may receive the promise of the Spirit by
faith.

Brethren, (I speak after the manner of men,) though it be
but a man’s covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man setteth
aside or addeth any thing. Now to Abraham were the
promises spoken, and to his seed. He saith not, And to seeds, as
of many, but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. And
this I say: the covenant (which was) formerly confirmed by
God concerning Christ, the law, which began four hundred
and thirty years after, doth not annul, so as to abolish the pro-
mise. Tor, if the inheritance (is) by the law, (it is) no longer
by promise ; but God gave it to Abraham by promise.

To what then serveth the law?2 It was added because of
transgressions, till the seed should come, to whom the promise
was made; (and it was) ordained by angels in the hand of a
mediator. Now the mediator is not of one; but God is one.
(Is) the law then against the promises of God?® By no

Prevoyant.” Foreseeing.

2929

* «Ou, a elle este adjoustee contre les promesses de Dieu?” Or, was
it added against the promises of God?”

CHAP. Iv. 1-11. EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. 351

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means ; for, if the law had been given that it might be able to
give life,! certainly righteousness would have been by the law.
But the scripture hath shut up all things under sin, that the
promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that
believe.

Now before faith came, we were guarded under the law,
shut up to the faith which was to be revealed. Wherefore the
law was our schoolmaster unto Christ, that we might be justified
by faith. But faith being come,? we are no longer under a
schoolmaster. For ye are all the children of God by faith in
Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into
Christ have put on Christ.

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor
free, there is neither male nor female ; for ye are all one in
Christ Jesus. And if ye are Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s
seed, and heirs according to the promise.

CHAPTER IV.

Now I say: As long as the heir is a child, he differeth nothing
from a slave,® though he is lord of all; but is under tutors and
guardians, till the time appointed by the father. So also we,
when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of
the world. But when the fulness of the time was come, God
sent forth his Son, made of a woman, subjected under the law ;
that he might redeem those who were under the law, that
we might receive adoption.4 And because ye are sons, God
hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying,
Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no longer a slave,°> but
a son; and if a son, likewise an heir of God by Christ.

But at the time when ye knew not God, ye served those
who by nature are not gods. But now, after that ye have
known God, or rather have been known by God, why do ye
turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, which you
again desire to serve anew?® Ye observe days, and months,
and times, and years. I am afraid of you, lest perhaps I
have laboured among you in yain.

1 « Pour pouvoir vivifier.” ‘In order to be able to give life.”

* « La foy estant venue.”

8 «T] west different en rien duserf.” “ He is not different in any respect
from the slave.”

4° A celle fin que receussions l’adoption des enfans.” “To this end,
that we might receive the adoption of sons.”

5 « Maintenant tu n’es plus serf.”

6 « Ausquels vous voulez derechef servir comme auparavant.” “ Which
you desire again to serve as formerly.”

352

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31

NEW TRANSLATION OF THE CUAP. Iv. 12-31.

Be yeas I; for alsoamas you. Brethren, I beseech you ;
ye have done me no injury. Now ye knew that, through in-
firmity of the flesh, I formerly preached the gospel to you;_
and the trial of me, which was in my flesh, ye despised not,
nor rejected ;! but ye received me as an angel of God, as
Christ Jesus. Where is then your blessedness ? for I bear you
witness, that, if it had been possible, ye would even have
plucked out your own eyes, and would have given them to me.
Am I therefore become your enemy by speaking the truth ?

They are jealous of you, not well;? yea, they wish to ex-
clude you, that ye may be jealous of them. But it is good to
be the object of jealousy always in a good thing, and not only
when I am present with you.

My little children, for whom I again travail in birth; till
Christ be formed in you, I would wish now to be present with
you, and to change my voice ; for I am distressed about you.
Tell me, ye who wish to be under the law, do ye not hear the
law ?

For it is written, that Abraham had two sous ; one by the
bond-maid, the other by the free-woman. But he who (was)
of the bond-maid was born according to the flesh ; but he who
(was) of the free-woman, by promise. Which things are alle-
gorical ;3 for there are two covenants; one indeed from mount
Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, that is Agar. For Agar
is mount Sinai in Arabia, and, on the-other hand, corresponds
to that which is now Jerusalem ; for she is in bondage with
her children. But Jerusalem, which is above, is free, which
is the mother of us all.

For it is written: Rejoice, O barren, who bearest not ;
break forth and cry, thou that travailest not ; for more are the
children of the forsaken than of her who hath a husband. (Is.
liv. 1.) Now we, brethren, like Isaac, are children of the
promise. (Rom. ix. 7.) But as, at that time, he who was
born according to the flesh, persecuted him who was born
according to the Spirit ; so also is it now. But what saith the
scripture? Cast out the bond-maid, and her son; for the son
of the bond-maid shall not obtain the inheritance with the son
of the free-woman. Wherefore, brethren, we are not children
of the bond-woman, but of the free.

1«Kt n’avez point mesprisé ne rejetté lespreuve de moy, telle qu’elle
estoit en ma chair.” “ And ye despised not, nor rejected, the trial of nie,
such as it was in my flesh.”

2 « Non point pour bien.” “ Not for good.”

* “ Lesquelles choses sont dites par allegorie.” “ Which things are
spoken by allegory.” ,

CHAP. V. 1-24, EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS, 353

pi

Go bo

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CHAPTER V.

Stand fast, therefore, in the liberty with which Christ hath
made us free; and be not again,entangled by the yoke of bond-
age. Behold, I Paul protest to you, that, if ye be circumcised,
Christ will profit you nothing, For I testify again to every
man who is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law.
Whosoever of you are justified by the law, ye have separated
yourselves from Christ ; ye are fallen from grace. For we,
through the Spirit, by faith, wait for the hope of righteousness,
For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing,
nor uncircumcision ; but faith working by love.

Ye were ruuning well. Who hindered you, that ye should
not obey the truth? This persuasion is not from him
who called you. <A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump,
I am persuaded concerning you in the Lord, that ye will think
nothing else ;' but he that troubleth you shall bear the con-
demnation, whoever he be. And I,? brethren, if I still preach
circumcision, why do I still suffer persecution? The offence
of the cross is abolished. Would that they were even cut off
who trouble you !

For ye, brethren, have been called to liberty ; only make
not the liberty an occasion to the flesh,3 but by love serve one
another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word, namely,
this: Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. But if ye
bite and devour one another, see that ye be not consumed by
one another.

Now I say: Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the
lust of the flesh, For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit; and
the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one
another, so that ye cannot do those things which ye would
wish. But if ye are led by the Spirit, ye are not under the law,

Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are adultery,
fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft,
enmities, strife, emulations, wrath, quarrellings, seditions,
heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such
like ; of which I foretell to you, as I also have foretold, that
they who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering,!
gentleness, kindness, fidelity, meekness, temperance ; against
such there is no law. And they who are Christ’s have cruci-

1 Que vous n’aurez autre sentiment.” “That ye will have no other
opinion.” .

* «Kt quant a moy.” “ And as to myself.”

* « Seulement (gardez) que la liberté ne soit occasion alachair.” “ Only
beware lest the liberty be an occasion to the flesh.”

*« Patience, ou, esprit patient.” “Patience, er a patient mind.”

Z

354 NEW TRANSLATION OF GALATIANS. CHAP. VI. 1-18.

25 fied the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live by the
26 Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Let us not be desirous
of vain-glory, provoking one another, envying one another.

CHAPTER VI.

1 Brethren, although a man be overtaken in any fault, ye,
who are spiritual, restore such a man in the spirit of meekness ;
considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Bear ye one
another’s burdens, and thus fulfil the law of Christ. For if
any one thinketh himself to be something, though he is nothing,
4 he deceiveth himself. But let every one prove his own work ;
and then shall he have glory in himself alone, and not in
5 another.! For every one shall bear his own burden.
6 Let him who is taught in the word communicate to the
7 teacher in all good things. Do not mistake: God is not
mocked ; for what a man shall have sowed, that will he also
8 reap. For he who soweth to his flesh, shall of the flesh reap
corruption ; but he who soweth to the Spirit, shall of the Spirit
9 reap everlasting life. And let us not weary in doing good;
10 for if we do not faint, we shall reap in due time.? Therefore,
while we have opportunity, let us do good to all, but especially
to them who are of the household of faith.
11 ‘Ye see what a letter? I have written with my own hand.
12 As many as wish to please outwardly in the flesh,* they con-
strain you to be circumcised ; only that they may not suffer
18 persecution for the cross of Christ. For neither they who hold
by circumcision do themselves keep the law; but they wish
you to be circumcised, that they may glory in your flesh.
14 But far be it from me to glory, unless in the cross of our
Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world is crucified to me, and
15 I to the world. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision
availeth anything nor uncircumcision; but a new creature.
16 And as many as walk by this rule, peace (be) on them, and
17 mercy, and on the Israel of God. Henceforth let no man give
me annoyance; for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord
18 Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ (be) with your
spirit. Amen.
To the Galatians it was written from Rome.

qo bo

‘«Et alors il aura dequoy se glorifier.” “And then will ye have
ground of boasting.” i

2 « Nous moissonnerons en la saison.” “ We shall reap in the season.”

* « Vous voyez (ou, voyez) quelles grandes lettres.” “Ye see, (or, See
ye) how long a letter.”

* “Tous ceux qui veuleut selon la face plaire en la chair, ou, Tous ceux -
qui cherchent belle apparence en la chair.” All those who wish accord-
ing ie ihe face to please in the flesh, or, All those who seek a fine show in
the flesh.

A TRANSLATION OF CALVIN’S VERSION

OF THE

EPISTLE OF PAUL TO THE EPHESIANS.

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1

CHAPTER I.

PavL, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to all
the saints who are at Ephesus,:and to the believers in Christ
Jesus ; grace (be) to you, and peace, from God our Father,
and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Blessed! (be) the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who hath blessed us with every spiritual blessing in heavenly?
(places) in Christ; as he hath chosen us in him before the
creation of the world, that we might be holy and blameless in
his sight through love: who hath predestinated us to adoption
in himself through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure
of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace, by which he
hath made us accepted in the Beloved.

In whom we have redemption througb his blood, the forgive-
ness of sins, according to the riches of his grace ; in which he
hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; having
made known to us the secret of his will, according to his good
pleasure, which he had purposed in himself; in order to the
dispensation of the fulness of the times ;3 that he might gather
together all things in Christ, both those things which are in
heaven, and those things which are on the earth, in him;
through whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being
predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all
things according to the purpose of his will; that we, who first
hoped in Christ, might be to the praise of his glory.

In whom ye also (trusted,) having heard the word of truth,
the gospel of your salvation ; in whom also, after having be-

“ Benit soit Dieu, ou, Loué soit Dieu.” “Blessed be God, or, Praised

be God.”

2

“ Es (choses) celestes, ou, Es lieux celestes.” “In heavenly things, or,

In heavenly places.”

3

“ Afin de le dispenser en Ja plenitude des temps.” “In order to dis-

pense it in the fulness of the times.”

356

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NEW TRANSLATION OF THE CHAP. 11, 1-7.

lieved, ye were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is
the earnest of our inheritance, till the redemption of the pos-
session obtained, to the praise of his glory.

Wherefore I also, having heard of the faith which ye have
in the Lord Jesus, and of the love (which ye have) toward all
the saints, cease not to give thanks for you, making mention
of you in my prayers ; that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and
revelation, by the knowledge of him,! the eyes of your mind
enlightened, that ye may know what is the hope of his calling,
and what are the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the
saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of his power
toward us who believe, according to the efficacy of the power
of his strength ; which he wrought in Christ, when he raised
him from the dead, and caused him to sit at his own right hand
in the heavenly (places) ; above all principality, and power, and
might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only
in this age, but also in (the age) which is to come; and hath
put all things under his feet, and hath appointed him head
over all things to the church,? which is his body, and the ful-
ness of him that filleth all in all,

CHAPTER II.

And when ye were dead in your trespasses and sins ;
in which for some time ye walked, according to the course of
this world, according to the prince of the power of air, that is,
of the spirit that now worketh# in the children of disobedience ;
among whom we all also, for some time, had our conversation
in the lusts of our flesh, executing what was agreeable to the
flesh and to the mind ;> and were by nature children of wrath,
even as others.

But God, who is rich in mercy, on account of his great love,
with which he loved us, even when we were dead in sins,
quickened (us) together with Christ ; (by grace ye are saved ;)
and hath raised us up together, and hath made us sit together
in heavenly (places) in Christ Jesus; That he might shew, in

1 “Pour avoir cognoissance (ou, par la cognoissance) de luy.” “In
order to have knowledge of him, or, By the knowledge of him.”

2

“Kt l’a constitué sur toutes choses, pour estre chef al’Eglise.” “And

hath appointed him over all things, to be head to the Church.”

* «Secundum seculum.” “Selon le cours.”

* © Qui est esprit qui besogne maintenant.” Who is the spirit that
now worketh.”

5 “Les desirs de la chair et de (nos) pensees.” “The desires of the
flesh and of (our) thoughts.”

CHAP. 1.1, 2. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 357

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the ages to come, the surpassing riches of his grace, in (his)
kindness! toward us in Christ Jesus.

For by grace are ye saved through faith ; and that not of
yourselves ; (it is) the gift of God. Notof works, that no one
may boast. For we are his workmanship, having been created
in Christ Jesus to good works, which God hath prepared, that
we may walk in them.

Wherefore remember that you, at one time Gentiles in the
flesh, who were called Uncircumcision by that which is called
Circumcision, made by the hand in the flesh, at that time were
without Christ, having been alienated from the commonwealth
of Israel,? strangers from the tables of promise,’ not having
hope, and without God in the world; but now in Christ Jesus®
you, who formerly were far off, have been made nigh through
the blood of Christ. :

For he is our peace, who hath made both one,® and breaking
down the middle wall of partition, the enmities in our flesh ;
abolishing in his flesh the law of commandments (which is)
contained in ordinances, that he might unite in himself the two
into one new man, making peace; that he might reconcile
both to God in one body through the cross, slaying? the enmi-
ties by it; and coming, preached peace to you who were far
off, and peace to those who were nigh; for through him we
both have access in one Spirit to the Father.

Therefore ye are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fel-
low-citizens of the saints, and of the household of God, having
been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, of
which Jesus Christ himself is the chief corner-stone ; in whom
the whole building joined together groweth into a holy temple
in the Lord ; in whom ye also are built together® for a habita-
tion of God in the Spirit.

CHAPTER IIL.

For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ, discharge
the office of ambassador for you Gentiles ; if ye have heard of

* «Par sa benignité.” “ By his kindness.”

* « N’ayans rien de commun avec la republique dIsrael.” “ Having
nothing in common with the commonwealth of Israel.”

* « Hstrangers des tables (ou, alliances) de la promesse.” “ Strangers
to the tables (or covenants) of promise.”

Qua Aaa we

“ N’ayant point d’esperance.” “ Having no hope.”

« Par Jesus Christ.” “Through Jesus Christ.”

“ Qui de tous les deux a fait un.” ‘* Who of both hath made one.”
* Ayant destruit.” “ Having destroyed.”

Or, “In whom also be ye builded together.”

10

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NO =

NEW TRANSLATION OF THE cHaP. Iv. 1, 2.

the dispensation of the grace of God, (which was) given me
towards you; that through revelation he made known to me
the secret, as I wrote a little before; by attending to which
ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ,
which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men,
as it hath now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets
through the Spirit, that the Gentiles are fellow-heirs, and of
the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ through
the gospel.

Of which I was made a minister, according to the gift of the
grace of God, which was given to me according to the efficacy
of his power, To me, the least of all saints, was this grace
given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearch-
able riches of Christ ; and that I should make manifest to all,
what is the fellowship of the mystery, which hath been hid
from ages in God, who created all things through Jesus Christ ;
that the manifold wisdom of God might now be manifested to
principalities and powers in heavenly places through the
church, according to the eternal purpose which he purposed
in Christ Jesus our Lord, through whom we have boldness,
and access with confidence, through the faith of him. Where-
fore I desire that ye faint not at my afflictions for you, which
is your glory.

For this cause I bend my knees to the Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and on
earth is named, that he would give to you, according to the
riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might through his
Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts
through faith, that ye may be rooted and grounded in loye,}
that ye may be able to comprekend with all saints, what is the
breadth, and length, and depth, and height; to know, I say,
the love of Christ, which surpasseth knowledge, that ye may
be filled with all the fulness of God.

Now to him who is able to do abundantly above all that we
ask or think, according to the power working in you, be glory
in the church through Jesus Christ, in all ages, for ever and
ever. Amen,

CHAPTER IV.

I therefore, a prisoner in the Lord, beseech you, that ye may
walk worthy of the calling to which ye have been called, with
all humility and meekness, with patience forbearing one another

1 «Qu, Afin qu’estans enracinez et fondez en charite, vous puissiez
comprendre.” “Or, That, being rooted and founded in love, ye may be
able to comprehend.”

‘

CHAP. Iv. 3-19. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 359

3 in love, endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in’ the
bond of peace.
4 One body and one spirit ;! as ye have been called in one hope
5 of your calling. One Lord,? one faith, one baptism. One God
6 and Father of all, who is above all things, and through all
things, (01, above all men and through-all men,) and in youall.
But to each of us hath grace been given, according to
the measure of the gift of Christ. Wherefore he saith:
After having ascended on high, he led captivity captive,’
9 and gave gifts to men. (Ps. lxvili. 18.) Now that (word)
he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into
10 the lower parts of the earth ? He who descended is the same also
who ascended above all heavens, that he might fill all things. 4
11 And he gave some apostles, and some prophets, and some
12 evangelists, and others pastors and teachers, for the renewing
of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edification of
13 the body of Christ; till we all come into the unity of the
faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, into a perfect
14 man, into the measure of the age of fulness® of Christ; that
we may no longer be children, who are tossed and driven about
by every wind of doctrine, by the cunning of men, by craftiness
15 for lying in wait to deceive; but, following truth with love,
may grow up in all things into him who is the head, that is,
16 Christ; from whom the whole body fitly joined together and
compacted by every joint of supply, according to the efficacy
in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body, to
the edifying of itself, in love.
17. ~=This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye no
18 longer walk, as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their
mind, blinded in the understanding, alienated from the life of
God on account of the ignorance which is in them, on account
19 of the blindness of their heart; who, after having ceased to
have any feeling,® have given themselves up to lasciviousness,
to commit all uncleanness with greediness.

mst

1 « Soyez un corps et un esprit; ou, Il n’y a qu'un corps et un esprit.”
«¢Be ye one body and one spirit; or, There is but one body and one
spirit.”

7 «Tl n’y a qwun Seigneur.” ‘There is but one Lord.”

* «stant monté en haut, ila mené captive grande multitude de cap-
tifs.” “Having ascended on high, he led captive a vast multitude of
captives.”

* «Ou, Accomplist, ou, replist le tout, ascavoir, toute l Eglise de ses
dons et graces.” “Or, That he might complete, or fill the whole, that is,
the whole church, with his gifts and graces.”

5 “De laage entiere, ou, la parfaicte stature.” “Of the full age, or,
the perfect stature.”

® « Lesquels, sans remors de conscience; ou. Ayans perdu tout senti-
ment.” “ Who, without remorse of conscience; or, Having lost all feel-
ing.”

4

360

20

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1

NEW TRANSLATION OF THE cHapP. v. 1-8,

But ye have not so learned Christ; if indeed ye have
heard him, and have been taught in him, as the truth is in
Jesus; that ye put off, according to the former conversation,
the old man, which is corrupted according to the lusts of
deceit ;1 and that ye be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
and that ye put on the new man, which hath been created
according to God, in righteousness and holiness of truth.?

Wherefore, putting away lying, speak every one the truth
with his neighbour ; for we are members one of another. Be
ye angry, and do not sin. (Ps. iv. 4.) Let not the sun go
down on your wrath; and give not place to the devil.
He that stole, let him steal no more; but rather let him labour,
by working with his hands what is good, that he may have to
give to him that needeth.

Let no filthy speech proceed out of your mouth; but if any
(speech) is good for the edification of use, that it may impart
grave to the hearers. And grieve not the. Holy Spirit of God,
by whom ye have been sealed to the day of redemption. Let
all bitterness, and anger, and wrath, and climour, and slander,
be put away from you with all malice. And be ye kind one
to another, merciful, forgiving one another, as God hath forgiven
you in Christ.

CHAPTER V.

Be ye therefore imitators of God, as beloved children ;
and walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given
himself for us an offering and sacrifice to God, for a smell of
delightful fragrance.

But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let
them not even be named among you, as becometh saints. Or
filthiness, foolish talking, jesting ; which are not convenient ;
but rather grace.? For this ye know, that no fornicator, or
unclean person, or covetous man, who is an idolater, shall
obtain inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.

Let no man deceive you by vain words; for on account of
these things cometh the wrath of God on disobedient (or, wn-
believing) children.t Be not ye therefore their companions.
Ye were once darkness; but now ye are light in the Lord ;

«Par les concupiscences qui seduisent.” “By the lusts which de-

= 29
ceive.

* « Et sainctete de verite, ou, vraye sainctete.” “ And holiness of truth,
or, True holiness.”

3

“Grace, ou, action de graces.” “ Grace, or, Thanksgiving.”

* «Sur les enfans de rebellion, ou, de desobeissance, ou, ineredulite.”
«On the children of rebellion, or of disobedience, or of unbelief.”

CIIAP. V. 9-33. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 361

walk as children of light; (for the fruit of the light is in all
goodness, and righteousness, and truth;) proving what is
acceptable to God.t

And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of dark-
ness ; but rather reprove them. For it is a shame even to
speak of those things which are done by them in secret. But
all things, when they are brought forward, are made manifest
by the light; for every thing that maketh manifest is light.
Wherefore he saith : Awake, thou that sleepest, and arise from
the dead; and Christ shall give thee light.

See then how you walk carefully, not as fools, but as wise ;
redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be
ye not imprudent, but understanding what is the will of the
Lord. And be not drunk with wine, in which is lascivious-
ness ; but be filled with the Spirit; speaking to yourselves in
psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making
melody in your heart, to the Lord; giving thanks always for
all things, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to God and
the Father.

Submit yourselves to one another in the fear of Christ (07, of
God). Let wives be subject to their own husbands as to the
Lord ; for the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also
is the saviour of the church ; and he is the saviour of the body.
But, as the church is subject to Christ, in like manner (let)
wives (be subject) to their own husbands in all things.

Husbands, love your wives ; as Christ also loved the church,
and gave himself for it, that he might sanctify it, cleansing
it with the washing of water by the word ; that he might pre-
sent it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle,
or any such thing ; but that it might be holy and unblamable.
So ought husbands to love their wives, as their own bodies.
He who loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever hated
his own flesh, but nourisheth and cherisheth it ; as also Christ?
the church ; for we are members of his body, of his flesh, and
of his bones. For this reason shall a man leave his father and
mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and the two shall be one
flesh.

This is a great secret; but I speak concerning Christ and
the church. Yet let every one of you love his wife; and
let the woman reverence her husband.

1 «Au Seigneur.” “To the Lord.”
* «Qe Seigneur.” “The Lord.”

362 NEW TRANSLATION OF THE CHAP. VI. 1-20)

CHAPTER VI.

1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord; for this is right.
2 Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first command-
3 ment with promise ;) that it may be well with thee, and that
4 thou mayest be long-lived on the earth. Ye fathers also, pro-
voke not your children to wrath; but bring them up in the
instruction and reproof of the Lord.

Servants, obey your masters! according to the flesh, with
fear and trembling, in the simplicity of your hearts, as to Christ ;
not with eye-service, as endeavouring to please men, but as
the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart :2
with good-will, serving the Lord, and not men; knowing
that every one, whether he be bond or free, shall receive from
the Lord whatever good he shall have done. And ye, masters,
perform your mutual duty toward them, forbearing threaten-
ings; knowing that their Master and yours is in heaven; and
there is no respect of persons with him.

10 ~~ ‘Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the
11 power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye
may be able to stand against the crafty devices of the devil.
12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against prin-
cipalities, against powers, against the princes of the world, of
the darkness of this age, against spiritual wickednesses in
13 heavenly places. Wherefore take to you the whole armour of
God, that ye may be able to resist in the evil day, and, having
accomplished everything, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt with truth, and hav-
15 ing put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having your
16 feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all,
taking the shield of faith, by which ye may be able to quench
17 all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet
of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of
18 God; praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and
supplication, and watching for this very purpose, with all per-
19 severance and supplication for all saints; and for me, that
speech may be given to me, in the opening of my mouth
with boldness, that I may make known the mystery of the
20 gospel ;% for which I discharge the office of ambassador, in

the chain; that I may conduct myself in it courageously, as I

ought to speak.

Or

fon)

Om

* « Obeissez a ceux qui sont (vos) maistres.” “Obey those who are
your masters.”

* «Faisans de courage la volonté de Christ.” “Doing courageously
the will of Christ.”

* “ Le secret de Vevangile.” “The secret of the gospel.”

CHAP. VI. 21-24. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 363

21

22

23

24

But that ye also may know my affairs, what I do, Tychicus,
a beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, will
make known to you all things; whom I have sent to you
for that purpose, that ye might know my affairs, and might
comfort your hearts. Peace (be) to the brethren, and love,
with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Grace (be) with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sin-
cerity. Amen.

»
Si s ana

we t int We a
ade Re “aSai
avers f ‘gerd BT b D4

al

al

TABLES AND INDEX

TO THE

COMMENTARIES ON THE EPISTLES

TO THE

GALATIANS AND EPHESIANS.

Th

k RO

LACK Chh Bid

LUVS OF

.

TABLE |.

OF PASSAGES FROM THE HOLY SCRIPTURES WHICH ARE QUOTED,
OR INCIDENTALLY ILLUSTRATED, IN THE COMMENTARIES
ON THE EPISTLES TO THE GALATIANS AND EPHESIANS.

GENESIS. Chap. Ver. Page Chap. Ver. Page
XXXIl. 5 310 lili. 5 92
Chap. — Ver. Page 8,9 2386 6 91
ii, (23) / 324 lvi. 8 96
24 323 lviil. LS St66
iii. 22,23 2382 1 SAMUEL. 7 160, 322
iy. 8 148 lx. Jl ewasiils
Vins 20). 124 Gin PR BI) 1xi. i 261
Tees Ay 37 isi) 10s 1301
XV. 1 86 Ixv. 1 23
6 84 JOB.
9 288
XX. 9 1438 xo pele 20! JEREMIAH.
12 94, 145
xxi S17) 86, 94 ios cg AD A
18 96, 288 PSALMS. cag ce D8
xly. 24 298 21 224
xxxvi = 2 811 xxiii, 24 270
XXXVil. 1 145 xxxi. 31 99
EXODUS. li. 5 66 xliv. A Re
Ixvings 12; 273
lil. ee LOZ Nei (2
xx. 5,6 328 Txx. Sib} 250
12 328 lexviii, 65, 66 272 Pee
Civae= OO 291 : 5 C
me 3 273 pea 17 95
LEVITICUS. exvili, 22 244,n.1
cxix. 9- 319
xvii, 5 68, 90, JOEL,
99, 105 £,
xxvi. 30 136,71 PROVERBS. i, 28 92
XVili. 38 292
DEUTERONOMY. HABAKKUK.
Belebee | 64 ISAIAH. ii, 4 86,89
iv. 7 66
xiii. Be aloth ix Grea is
S64 4 e3) 92 Kae oe 95 MALACHI.
xxvii. 26 99 Kix se | Love 2o0

mee Loe 274: xly. 238 121 ii. ie, 128

368
MATTHEW.
Chap. Ver. Page
v. 24 3804
44, 45 304
vi. Gili
ae i 23
5,6 240
22) S180
Ve LO eli6g
24 240
sayy 6 7 42, 7.2
Toke, 6 240
SCX eel: 60
xxvii 438 148
ol +» 109; 119
xxvii. 14 385
MARK.
Vil 21 169
xvi 15 57, 251
LUKE.
dit. Dee L2Or
58 §=6109
74, 75 296
ii. G77
Thigyle pel ish 4 oP
xe Ge AS
23, 24 116
xii Issey SAR
XV LO.
XVii Thee ays)
Xxi 28 209
JOHN.
i. 3 254
alg),
13 140
11 LG 28
PADI BASIS
30 16
Ver) pe eo ri
vit: ) 89% 276
viii. 29 92
x 9 241
16 250
xii 43 291
Xiv. 6 285
ii 20
23 75, 262
3 336
XVi. a) 26
25. 1382

TABLE OF PASSAGES QUOTED OR ILLUSTRATED.

Chap. Ver. Page
XVII lL pees
15 Pai
5S LU teal
ACTS
a. S$. Aezall
26 23
fie 2 276
Vil. woul
ob BIG
ix.) ol 38
27 44
Ki 1 58
34 38382
384,35 55
47 81
xa 2 59
20 35, 2. 1
25 46
xiil. oy 57
De. BU
Xlv. 5 22
Xv. 2 18, 46
81
12 81
13 59
24 87
28 61
XVi. 3 50, 149
4 2387,n.1
XVIii. th DS ZBiiAe I
23 284
28 270,291
Xx) 3a 50
xm 1g 59
XxiiL. IPs MaRS
ROMANS.
to Gi 20%
ii7/ 89
Tp 29)o 255
Me 20k LOO
24 85
2 81
28 84
ly. 2 85
3 84
AN tellf
11 83, 149
14 98
16 98
v. 1 84, 258
6,8 225
10 75
138 100

Chap.

vi.

Vii.

Viii.

1;

XV.

Ver.
20 100

, 169

5 124
17 167,315
1 50

1 CORINTHIANS,

ie

iii.

24,25 311
9 56, 258
10 280

2 CORINTHIANS.

i.

12 175
20 87, 288

TABLE OF PASSAGES QUOTED OR ILLUSTRATED. 369

Chap. Ver. Page

zu, 22. 120, 209
ii 15 3804
ie elas 82511
iv. 6 255
16 261

me, 68 120,209
17 185, 294

18-21 240

20. 241

vie Gi! 245

18 208

pai 2 ot

ao) elsO

3 52

28 348

xii. CO) GANS

ise) lgs

PHILIPPIANS.

il. 2 268

7 274

ey als:

lil. Gh eee

7,8 185

20 75

iv. 7 264

COLOSSIANS.

ine 18 286

Le S262

ee) Le 283
14 74, 237

iil. 5 807

21 6328

iv. 6 300

1 THESSALONIANS.

ii, 10 222
v. 8 889,840

1 TIMOTHY.

Chap. Ver. Page
i. 9

66

15 258

18 215

il. 5 102
7 258

iv. toh ells
We a 22
20 64

2 TIMOTHY.

ili. Te 2207,
16 100
Alsy akg/s Wa
ly. Wh PTS
TITUS.
i 5 22
HEBREWS.
y. 4 22,196
12 Be
13, 14 S132
vi 6 80

x 38 85
xi 5) )e5il!
13 140

JAMES.
ioe Gis 208
iva. ~l2 19

1 PETER,

O30 140
ii ia 37
Vv Sr Lb7
2 PETER.
ii. 14 298
1 JOHN,
ji, pak ou aOe:
iil. 8 Te
9 132,141
14 105
ime) 0 75, 225
19" 225
Y. 4 340
19 27
2 JOHN.
9) 284
JUDE.
16 156
APOCRYPHA.

2 MACCABKES.

TABLE I.

OF GREEK WORDS EXPLAINED.

Page Page
Aderomos, « 5 ; 234 EHKAUET, F 2585, We
c0<o1, j : ; 234 EXTREDETE, . : : 329
aia, : 27, 220, n. 1 EAEY YEN, ; : dll
AKEDUDOY, ? : 217 Bal 3 1 . 287
arnoeins, : ; 296 vaurw, . ; : 200
arnbevovres, ¢ ; 286 éy mol, 2 . . 40, 42
AAAUYOLOUMLEVL, : 35 év Kugiw, . } ; 155
AVY WGTKOVTES, « , 248 gv OAiyw, : , 248
adden, . ; 33, n..2 avegynaey, ; Ree Fe
AVAKEDUAGIWGHOIE, 204 erececyaoit, : : 219
CVATANGHOUTE, « : 173 eregionevoey, : : 203
avlur6Qoee, ; : 65 ETIKIOV, “ : 271
GYONTO!, : ; 78 exit por, : Bs, mt
avribeov, : , 336 20010 wu nevor, : 263, n. 1
auvriorgogos, : : 140 BUT LOOWT HOE, : 181
apsaPuv, . : ‘ 209 ebreurenia., : ; 305
AOE EI, : 165, 293 eUyUIOTIC, ‘ : 306
aowrin, . : : peli EYL ULLIT OEY, : : 201
adronearne, : : 221 Cnrovobct, s : 131
apoagoi¢, ‘ 5 344 up OY, : : : 302
dels ov, ‘ : 101 10ETE, : ; - 181
Bacnaiveny, ; Be (shee | jorogeiv, ‘ 43, n. 1
yIvuoxEre, . : 5 87 nabugios, j ; 320
d1aPorw, « é ‘ 298 nabus, ; : : 84
Oiadnun, .« 93, lot, 250 xO), { ‘ 28.
OIAVOiC, - 289 xUAOUYTOS, s F 154
610d6%07.06, 108, n. 1 HOLYOVEL, r , ; 186
OlKLIO0UYN, : : 296 UTC, : : : 35
O1WK0, ‘ : é 143 AUTH TLOTWTOV, « . 62
Oye, 5 - ‘ 237 AOTULTIOWLOS, : P 281
OovAo, a é : 329 LATAY ENGI, : s 136
OuvaLenc, . , f 213 HUTEYVOIOLEVOS, « : 62
SQV X0l, F : 172 AATEVUITIOY LUTOUs : 200
sig auroy, 5 5 200 xevooocin, . 5 : 169

eis Xoucroy, : : 108 HEY ALOT ON, : : 98
> v 3

TABLE OF GREEK WORDS EXPLAINED.

AA NLOVOLLEN,
AOGONLATOREC, .
xuBEi0,
HBL, s
[LrADAOV 05, s
[ner UpopLOLl,

; 4
OLNOV0LIE, :
O1Z6Y0{L05, :
ogy",

oo1orns, =i

O50l oT Ory oOvGIY,
TOLOKY WY iL,
TOOK WY OS,
TAVOUEY ICL,
TULLOT ION,
wreideodas.

reidw,
TEOTOIGOIS, .

‘
TlITIS,

Se =
TAEOVESICL, 4
TOAUTOAIAOY CODIAY,

4
Teoyedumore, «
Teoeyeagn,
TeOANWIS,

Page
167
336
286

165, n. 2

2s (pe Al
289, n. 1
247
1S. H..0
302
296
186
116
108

, 286

321
154

; Do, f. |

.

210

AD n. I
293

255

80

80

103

249

Page
oraugis, . 184
OTIY LAT et, 187
oumraderce, ‘ 302
Cuvorxooo[neiobe, 245
ouororyé, c 140
ovoroly si, : - 140
Over Oryic, : 140
Th AUT, aoe
Th THVT, ; ¢ 105
TILEY, f 5 326, n. 2
7 viv ‘TegovowAnu, 140
ro “Aya, 139
Th “AAO, aS
TOU Apso, : 187
TON O1OLVOIG, Doe
ureeBaroy, 219
Pavegoupevor, 312
PULMLCAKEl Ct, 165,27 1
Diora, 170
popyirat, . : 326
puoi, Z : 222, n. I
Pury, - - 133, n.2
Purisas TAYTHS, 254
aaoiC opnevol, ; : B00

TABLE IU.

OF HEBREW WORDS EXPLAINED.

prmbs, (zlohim,)
a, (beth,)

337, (hagar,)

YW, (zérang,)
Wr, (eargnacha,)
Mm, (hhérém,)
PIISid, (métzahéek,)
TW, (vagaz,)

INDEX.

A

ABBA, meaning of the word, 121.
Abraham, how he was justified, 83.
believers are the seed of, 112.
allegory of the history of the two
sons of, 135.
is a pattern adapted to all, 83.
Adoption put for actual possession,

the Holy Spirit is the earnest and
pledge of, 120.
is the only true right to the king-
dom of God, 167.
good works are the fruit of, 179.
why the Holy Spirit is called the
Spirit of, 164.
Afflictions, Christians ought not to
lose the advantage of, 82.
Agar, a name of Mount Sinai, 139.
Alienation of the soul from God, spi-
ritual death is, 219.
Allegories often strangely misapplied
by interpreters, 135,
Allegory of the history of Ishmael and
Isaac, 135.
Ambition destroys sincerity, 26.
is the mother of many evils in
society and in the Church, 169.
is a serious and alarming evil,
170.
the Apostle Paul was far removed
from, 156.
envy is the daughter of, 170.
Ambitious persons cannot serve Christ,
36.
Ambrose quoted, 54, 140.
Anathema explained, 33.
Angels, why did Paul decline the au-
thority of % 32.
it is supposed that there are vari-
ous orders of, 216.
do not walk in faith, 256.

Anger, how it differs from hatred, 165,
three ways in which it offends
God, 298.
must be thoroughly dislodged,
299.
two remedies for, 298.
Apostleship, Paul defends his claim
to, 21.
the word employed in two differ-
ent ways, 22.
Aristotle quoted, 165.
Armour needed for the spiritual war-
fare, 334.
Atheists, why the Gentiles are styled,
234,
Atonement of Christ, the, ascribed to
God the Father, 26.

B

Baptism, the ordinance of, proves a
Trinity of Persons in the God-
head, 269.

what is the design of, 321.

why it is called the washing of
the soul, 319.

the grace of God is not confined
to the sign in, 320.

Believers live out of themselves, 74.

are the children of God, 110.

are Abraham’s seed, 112.

make habitual opposition to the
power of sin, 162.

do not succeed in serving God in
a perfect manner, 163.

yet they ought not to be discou-
raged, 164.

are saints, 196.

causes of their difference from
unbelievers, 289.

constitute one temple of God, 245,

the Church is the mother of, 161.

374

Beloved, the, why Christ is called,
201.

Bernard quoted, 265.

Bless, various meanings of the word,
NEV

Blood, what it is to consult with fiesh
and, 42.
Bloomfield quoted, 139, 155, 165, 196,
310, 314, 317, 326, 335.
Breastplate of a devout and holy life,
308.

Brown quoted, 28, 30, 79, 87, 102,
154, 287.

Burdens, the sins under which we
groan are so called, 173.

C

Ca Line of believers ascribed to the
good pleasure of God, 203.
Calling of the Gentiles, why it is
called a mystery, 250.
Captivity put for captive enemies, 272.
Catachresis explained, 136.
Cause of our salvation, the efficient, is
the good pleasure of the will of
God, 200.
the material is, Christ the Be-
loved, 201.
the final, is the glory of God, 206.
the formal, is the preaching of
the gospel, 203.
Ceremonies are no longer enjoined by
divine authority, 152.
have been abolished by the cross
of Christ, 239.
the pageantry of, in the Papal
system, 116.
Chandler quoted, 133, 158, 165, 170,
268, 335.
Chapters, unhappy division of, 113.
Chief corner-stone, Christ is the, 244.
Children, who are, 284.
Children of disobedience put for ob-
stinate persons, 221.
Children of God, believers are, 110.
Christ, the resurrection of, is the com-
mencement of his reign, 24.
the atonement of, is ascribed to
God the Father, 26,
his eternal godhead proved, 118.
how he was a curse, 91.
Paul commends the grace of, 26.
painted in the gospel, 80.
is the Mediator of reconciliation,
of intercession, aud of ail doc-
trine, 102.
what are the works of, 187.

INDEX.

Christ lives in us in two ways, 74.
the gospel of, why so called, 31.
what is the law of, 173.
by his death purchased us to be
his own property, 27.
did not bring sin, but unveiled it,
72.
did not suffer punishment on his
own account, 91.
is God’s beloved Son, and yet en-
dured the wrath of his Father,
92.
why he is called the Beloved, 201.
is the foundation of hope, and of
all the promises, 233.
is the peace between God and
man, 235. 3
in what manner he preached
peace, 240.
alone supports the whole Church,
242. -
how he is the chief corner-stone,
244,
the duties of husbands illustrated
by his example, 322.
Christian life, the, contrasted with the
abominations of the Gentiles,
293. '
Christianity, what it actually is, 168.
Christians ought not to lose the ad-
vantage of afflictions, 82.
Chrysostom quoted, 54, 62, 70, 130,
136, 140, 157.
Church, the, is God’s house, 242.
the external marks of, 25.
why called heavenly, 140.
improper use of the word by the
Papists, 26.
will always contain hypocrites, 37.
on what condition Christ was
made the Head of, 217.
how to distinguish between a true
and a false, 242.
is edified by love, 288.
must not be expected to be free
from all blemishes in this world,
25.
the, is spread over the whole
world, ]40.
the government of, is a most
sacred ordinance of Christ,
278.
why called the mother of be-
lievers, 14].
the word is often applied by a
figure of speech in which a part
is taken for the whole, 26.
what must be the nature of the
harmony of, 257.

INDEX.

Chureh, why was this name applied to
the Galatians? 25.
Circumcision viewed by Paul in two
different aspects, 149.
with its appendages, is abolished
in Christ, 151.
is not in force at the present day
upon the Jews, 238.
put for ceremonies, | 52.
of Timothy, 50.
Commendation bestowed on faith, 262.
on the grace of Christ, 26.
Corruption of doctrine, the sources of,
36.
Covenant of grace, the, apparent con-
tradiction of the law to, 104.
Covenants, the two, 137.
Covetousness, why called idolatry, 507.
the Apostle Paul was far removed
from, 156.
Cross of Christ, the, what is denoted
by glorying in, 184.
all ceremonies have been abo-
lished by, 239.
the gospel is sometimes called,
182.
the word points out the propitia-
tory sacrifice, 239.
Crucified, how the world is, 184.
Crucified with Christ, what is meant
by, 74.
Curse, how Christ was a, 91.
Curse of the law, in what respect it is
accidental, 89.
Cyprian quoted, 281.

D

Darkness denotes the whole nature
of man before regeneration,
309,
Day of redemption means the day of
judgment, 209.
why so called, 302.
Days, how far it is lawful or otherwise
to observe, 124.
Days, the Papists censurable for their
observance of, 125.
Death to the law, what is meant by,
73,
contrasted with living to God.
73.
Death of Christ, the, is the price by
which we are reconciled to God,
304.
Death, spiritual, is the alienation of
the soul from God, 219.
is a universal disease, 220.

376

Deceitful lusts include many disposi-
tions which are sometimes ap-
plauded, 295.

Design of the ordinance of baptism,
321.

of regeneration, 296.

Devil, the, why mentioned in the sin-

gular number, 221.

reigns in all the schools of the
Papists, 121.

why he reigns in the world, 336.

Dick quoted, 150.

Disannulling of the promise, what is
meant by, 97.

Disagreement of members within the
Church tends to the ruin of the
whole body, 162.

Distinctions necessary concerning the
Christian ministry, 138.
Doctrine is twofold, legal and evange-

lical, 137.
whence comes the corruption of, 36.

Doctrine of Christ, the, teaches us to
renounce our natural disposi-
tions, 294,

E

Eapie quoted, 301, 313, 315, 326.
Earnest of our’inheritance, what it
denotes, 209.
Edification of the Church, the, pro-
ceeds from Christ alone, 282.
Efficient cause of our salvation, the, is
the good pleasure of the will of
God, 200.
Electing pastors, the ordinary method
of, 23.
Election. See ternal election.
Elements put for rudiments, 117.
Encouragement to faithful and upright
pastors, 186.
Envy is the daughter of ambition, 170.
Ephesus, a celebrated city of lesser
Asia, 191.
Epistle to the Galatians, at what time
it was written is uncertain, 47.
Equals put for persons of one’s own
age, 38.
Erasmus quoted, 182, 277, 299, 308,
315.
Eternal election is the first cause of
our salvation, 197.
holiness is the fruit of, 199.
proved by various argaments to
be true, 198.
gives no occasion to licentious-
ness, 199.

376

Eternal election is ascribed to the
good pleasure of God, 203.
no doctrine is more useful, if cau-
tiously handled, 199.
Eternal godhead of Christ proved, 118.
Evangelical doctrine contrasted with
legal, 137.
Evangelical peace is widely different
from a stupified conscience, 241,
Evangelists, who they were, 279.
Example of Christ held out for our
imitation, 304.
of God, 303.

F

Faitn, what is it to be of ? 87.

cannot actually be destroyed, 45.

a remarkable commendation be-
stowed on, 262.

whence it derives its power to
convey life into us, 75.

why it is represented to be a
cause of justification, 84.

looks at nothing but the mercy of
God, 85.

sometimes means the exercise of
a calm, steady conscience, 90).

denotes, in a comparative sense,
the time of the New Testament,
107.

put by a figure of speech for the
gospel, 81.

sometimes means truth, 168.

is an admirable work and gift of
Ged, 213.

differs widely from an empty and
confused knowledge of Christ,
257.

fellowship with Christ is a con-
sequence of, 262.

confines its view entirely to
Christ, 283.

angels do not walk in, 256.

divided into three stages, 257.

is a gift bestowed on us through
Christ, 344.

sometimes denotes the full decla-
ration of those things which,
during the darkness of the sha-
dows of the law, were dimly
seen, 107.

Faith and love inelude the whole ex-
cellence of Christian character,
211.

Faithful teachers encouraged, 186.

False apostles contrasted with the sin-
cerity of the Apostle Paul, 184.

INDEX.

False apostles proposed to unite the
grace of God with works, 77.
professedly preached the gospel,
29.

their vain boasting indirectly ri-
diculed, 186.
False worship, how it must appear in
the sight of God, 291.
Fathers, the, were partakers of the
same adoption with us, 114.
their consciences were still free,
PS:
Faults of brethren must not be made
an occasion of insulting them,
170.
in what manner they should be
corrected, 171.
Fear of Christ, the, what it implies, 317.
Fear of God, love to our neighbour
springs from, 160.
Fellowship, why the publication of the
gospel is called a, 254.
Fellowship with Christ is the conse-
quence of faith, 262.
Final cause of our salvation, the, is the
glory of God, 206.
First grace, the, Papists maintain that
Christ merited for us, 77.
Flesh, what are the works of, 164.
what it isto sow to, 178.
what is denoted by the infirmity
of, 127.
sometimés denotes the nature of
man, 163.
often means the inclinations of the
nature, 222.
contrasted with the Spirit, 142.
put for the bodily life, 74.
for the outward appearance, 127.
for human appearance, 142.
Flesh and blood, what it is to consult
with, 42.
Forgiveness of sins cannot be obtained
but through the grace of Christ,
239.
Formal cause of our salvation, the, is
the preaching of the gospel, 203.
Free-will, which is taught by the Pa-
pists, disproved, 221.
another argument against, 229.
Fruits of Christ’s dwelling in us, 262.
Fruits of the gospel, all the gifts of the
Spirit are the, 83.

G

Gaxatta, how it was originally peopled,
13.

INDEX.

Galatia was an extensive country, 25.
Galatians, the, unsteadfastness of, 30.
good hopes expressed concerning,
155.
are indirectly told that they are
earnal, 162.
how they at first received the
Apostle Paul, 127.
why the name Church was ap-
plied to, 25.

Galatians, the Epistle to the, object

of, 15.
~ at what time it was written is un-
eertain, 47.

Gentiles, the, the Jews were placed
by the grace of God on a level
with, 71.

why they are called atheists, 234.
Christian life contrasted with the
abominations of, 293.

Gentiles, calling of the, why it is said
to be a mystery, 250.

Girdle, truth is compared to a, 338.

Glory sometimes denotes, by way of
eminence, the goodness of God,
206.

Glory of God, the, is of so great im-
portance as to deserve to be
frequently mentioned, 210.

Glorying in the eross, what is denoted
by, 184.

Glorying of a good conscience, 159,

God is always like himself, 103.

what is meant by living to, 78, 74.

ingratitude of departing from,
122.

we are enjoined to imitate, 303.

in the Church we ought to listen
to Him alone, 21.

Good works are the fruit of adoption,

179.
are a part of the grace of God,
229.
Gospel, the, is the message of peace,

is sometimes called the eross of
Christ, 182.

the truth of, denotes its genuine
purity, 52.

why called the gospel of Christ,
31.

was professedly preached by the
false apostles, 29.

corrupted and adulterated by the
Papists, 52.

subversion of, is an enormous
erime, 31.

all the gifts of the Spirit are the
fruits of, 83.

377

Gospel, the preaching of, corrupted by
the dread of the cross, 182.
swallows up the shadows of the
law, 185.

why it is called the word of truth,
207

to proclaim it in a proper manner
is a rare attainment, 342.

faith put by a figure of speech
for, 81.

Popery is a dreadful perversion
of, 34.

Satan taints its purity by intro-
ducing false and corrupt opi-
nions, 154.

why the publication of, is called
a fellowship, 254.

Government of the Church, the, is a
sacred ordinance of Christ, 278.

Grace, the purpose of God is the ori-
ginal fountain of, 28.

Grace of Christ, the, is commended
by Paul, 26.

dreadful ingratitude manifested
in despising, 76.

the false apostles proposed to
unite it with works, 77.

Grace of God, the, good works are a
part of, 229.

the Apostle Paul had been called
by, 40.

Greek put for Gentile, 112.

H

HALr-JUSTIFICATION unknown to Paul,
69.
Harmony of the Church, what must
be the nature of, 287.
Hatred, how anger differs from, 165.
Head of the Church, on what con-
dition Christ was made the,
PANE
Heavenly, why the Church is so called,
140. ;
Heirs according to the promise of
God, believers are, 112.
Heresies enumerated among the works
of the flesh, 166.
Holiness is the fruit of eternal elec-
tion, 199.
Holy Spirit, the, sealed the doctrine
of Paul, 59.
is the earnest and pledge of our
adoption, 120.
the sealing of believers by, 208.
human affections are ascribed to,
301.

378

Holy Spirit, the, spake by the mouth

of the prophets, 243.

is the seal by which we are dis-
tinguished from the wicked,
302.

all the gifts of, are the fruits of
the gospel, 63.

why he is called the Spirit of
adoption, 164.

Hope, Christ is the foundation of, 233.
prayer is the exercise of, 340.
House of God, the Chureh is the, 242.
Human affections are ascribed to the

Holy Spirit, 301.
Ifusbands, the duties of, 318.
enforcement of those duties by
the example of Christ, 322.
Hypocrisy belonging to our natural
state, 164.
warning against, 345,
Hypoerites will always be found in
the Church, 37.

I

IpoLatry, why ecovetousness is called,
307.
Ignorance is the death of the soul, 292.
Image of God, the, is a sacred bond of
union, 160.
Imitation of God enjoined, 303.
Implicit faith, a doctrine held by the
Papists, 32.
Indulgence of the sins of other men
must be avoided, 173.
Infirmity of the flesh, what it denotes,
127.
ingratitude of despising the grace of
God, 76.
of departing from God, when he
has once been known, 122.
of withholding temporal support
from the teachers of the word,
176.
Iinsensibility is the usual symptom of
having been forsaken by God,
292.
Intercession, Christ is the Mediator
of, 102.
Isaac, allegory concerning, 137.
persecuted by Ishmael, 143.
Ishmael, allegory concerning, 137.
Israel of God, who they are, 186.

J

James, the son of Alpheus, 44.

INDEX.

James distinguished from James, the
brother of John, 59.

Jealousy is sometimes sinful, 130.

and sometimes holy, 131.

Jerome quoted, 54, 62, 67.

Jerusalem, why compared to Mount
Sinai, 140.

what is the heavenly, 140.

Jews, the, are placed by the grace of
Christ on a level with the Gen-
tiles, 71.

Joy sometimes denotes cheerful be-
haviour towards our fellow-
men, 167.

Judgment of God, the, sloth and pride
will be corrected by the consi-
deration of, 175.

the false conclusions of men will
find no place in, 176.

Julian, the Roman Emperor, a viru-
lent opponent of Christianity,
53, n. 2.

K

KEUCHENIUS quoted, 133.

Kingdom of God, the, adoption is the
only true right to, 167.
Knowiedge of the godly, the, is al-

ways attended by some dimness
or obscurity, 212,
Knowledge of Christ is twofold, the
genuine and the counterfeit, 294.
Knowledge of God is the true light of
the soul, 292.

L

Law, the, what it is to be of the works

of, 88.

what is meant by the works of, 67.

slays and yet breathes life, 72.

what it is to die to, 73.

has no influence in obtaining jus-
tification, but is not therefore
useless, 99.

was published in order to make
known transgressions, 100.

apparently eontradicts the cove«
nant of grace, 104.

compared to a schoolmaster, 108.

as a rule of life, is as much in
force as ever, 119.

slavery of, 113.

righteousness is perfeet obedience
to, 67.

what it is to be under, 134,

INDEX.

Law, the, is the everlasting rule of a

good and holy life, 119.

the righteousness of, not re-
nounced by believers, 71.

the name is given to the five
books of Moses, 135.

formerly brought forth its disci-
ples to slavery, 1338.

consists of two tables, 159.

the shadows of, are swallowed up
by the truth of the gospel, 185.

Law of Christ, what is the, 173.

Leaven, refers to doctrine, and not to
men, 154.

Legal doctrine contrasted with the
evangelical, 137.

Liberty was procured for us by Christ
on the cross, 147.

in what manner it ought to be
used, 159.

Liberty of conscience is the chief sub-
ject of the controversy in the
Epistle to the Galatians, 146.

Life, there are in the world three
kinds of, 291.

Life of believers, the, consists in faith,

75.
is not maintained without a strug-
gle, 162.

Life of God, the, what it denotes, 291.

Light sometimes denotes those who
have been enlightened by the
Spirit of God, 309.

Living to God, what is meant by, 73,
74.

Long life promised to obedient chil-
dren, 328.

Love, the Church is edified by, 288.

Love of Christ, the, led him to unite
himself to us, 75.

Love of Christ, our, contains within
itself the whole of wisdom, 264.

Love to our neighbour, the duties of,
50.

springs from the fear and love of

God, 160.

Luther quoted, 133.

Lying put for every kind of deceit,
297.

M

Manicueans, the, strange absurdity
of, 221.
their wild notion of two princi-
ples refuted, 336.
Manifold wisdom, why
nated, 255.
Marks of a true Chureh, 25.

so desig-

379

Marks of Christ, what Paul meant by,
187.

Magriage alleged by the Papists to be
one of seven sacraments, 325.

Marriage, the law of, illustrated by
the spiritual union between
Christ and his Church, 323.

Material cause of our salvation, the,
is Christ the Beloved, 201.

Matthias, why the lot was employed
in the election of, 23.

Mediator of reconciliation, of inter-
cession, and of all doctrine,
Christ is the, 102.

Meekness tends to preserve the unity
of the Church, 267.

recommended in dealing with of-
fenders, 171.

Mercy of God, the, faith looks at no-

thing but, 85.
salvation is aseribed to, 224.

Michaelis quoted, 139, n. 2.

Ministers of the word should not be
defrauded of temporal support,
176.

ought to be satisfied with mode-
rate fare, 177.

Ministry of the gospel, the, how it

should be discharged, 80.
highly commended, 282.
remarkable illustration of the

efficacy of, 1382.
is nottemporary but constant, 282.

Moses, many promises which belong
to faith are found in his writ-
ings, 99.

contrast between the law of

Christ and the law of, 173.

Mother of believers, the Church is the,
141.

N

Name put for largeness or excellence,
217.

Nature is twofold, 223.

New creature, the world is coutrasted
with the, 184,

Oo

OatH, an, cannot lawfully be employed
but on great and weighty oc-
casions, 46.

Obedience to parents is very rare, 327,

Obey, why does the Apostle employ
that word instead of Honour ?
326.

380

Obey the truth, what it is to, 79.

Oblias, a name given to James, the
son of Alpheus, 44. .

Office-bearers in the Church, five
classes of, 278.

Old and New Testaments compared,
118.

Old man, the world is the object of
the, 185.

Opus operatum, a doctrine of the Pa-
pists, 50.

Ordinances of God, the, are not im-
paired by the abuses of men,
150.

Origen quoted, 67, 135.

P

PainTERs, what kind of, the Church
requires, 80.
Paley quoted, 171.
Papists, the, are full of superstitions,
29.
hold the doctrine of implicit faith,
32.
the poor subterfuges of, 34.
silly trifling of, about justifica-
tion, 69.
evade the meaning of the Apostle
Paul, 87, 97.
in all their schools the devil
reigns, 121.
censurable for enjoining the ob-
servance of days, 126.
the arrogant pretensions of, ]28.
called Ishmaelites and Hagarites,
145.
thrust upon us trifles of their own
invention, 148.
their doctrine of opus operatum,
50.
are accustomed to tear faith after
a murderous fashion, 152.
say that, while we are out of
Christ, we are only half dead,
219.
wickedly take away certainty
from the word of God, 285.
absurdity of their praying for the
dead, 343.
corrupt and adulterate the gospel,
52.
wickedly lay aside the word of
God, 287.
Parents, the duties of, 328.
Partition, the middle wall of, between
Jews and Gentiles, thrown
down, 226.

INDEX.

Partition, a more full explanation of
its nature, 237.

Pastors, the ordinary method of elect-
ing, 23.

must be loved as well as re-
spected, 129.

must accommodate themselves to
the capacity of the people, 133.

ought to consider what may be
the likeliest method of bringing
back wanderers to the right
path, 126.

it is their duty to teach diligently,
and to look up for the divine
aid, 259.

distinguished from teachers, 280.

the Apostle Paul held out as an
example to, 259.

Paul vindieates his claim to the apos-
tleship, 21.

how does he affirm that he was
not called by men? 23.

indirectly contrasted with the
false apostles, 24.

usually wrote in the name of
many persons, 25.

had been called by the grace of
God, 40. ;

was the apostle of the uncireumcei-
sion, 57.

the miraculous conversion of, 39.

why did he decline the authority
of angels ? 32.

his doctrine was sealed by the
effectual working of the Holy
Spirit, 59.

his conversation with Peter, 61.

opposed the sinful and unseason-
able dissimulation of Peter, 63.

was perfectly agreed with Peter
about doctrines, 64.

did not teach that believers re-
nounce the righteousness of
the law, 71.

why he defended his doctrine
with warmth and energy, 155.

was far removed from ambition
and covetousness, 156.

how he was received by the Ga-
latians, 127.

his exhortation contrasted with
the doctrine of the false apos.
tles, 159.

his great solicitude about the
churches, 343.

why does he disclaim human
agency ? 238.

calls himself a prisoner of Jesus
Christ, 246.

INDEX.

Paul, why, he mentions his prayers for
the Ephesians, 259.
why he exhibits himself in a hu-
miliating light, 252.
is perfectly sincere in admitting
his unworthiness, 253.
held out as an example to pastors,
259.
Peace, in what
preached, 240.
denotes prosperity, 344.
the gospel is the message of, 241.
isa gift bestowed on us through
Christ, 344.
Peace, evangelical, is widely different
from a stupified conscience,
241,
Pelagians, the, a remarkable passage
in opposition to, 223.
successfully answered by Augus-
tine, 321.
Perfection of the saints, the, consists
of two parts, 263.
Persecution is of various kinds, 144.
of Isaac by Ishmael, 143.
Perseverance in prayer recommended,
340.
Person contrasted with the fear of
God and a good conscience, 55.
Peter was the apostle of the cireum-
cision, 58.
the controversy between Paul
and, 61. :
was perfectly agreed with Paul
about doctrine, 64,
reproved by Paul for sinful dissi-
mulation, 638.
Piety to God ranks higher than the
love of the brethren, 159.
Plato quoted, 290, 296.
Porphyry, a virulent opponent of
Christianity, 53.
Possession obtained, the, is the Church
itself, 210.
Prayer is the exercise of faith and
hope, 340.
ought it to be offered for believers
only ? 341.
Praying for the dead, absurdity of the
Papists in, 343.
Preaching of the gospel, the, is cor-
rupted by the dread of the
cross, 182.
Primacy of the Church of Rome re-
futed, 280.
Promise, the, annexed to the fifth
Commandment, 328.
Promise of God, the, believers are
heirs according to, 112.

manner’ Christ

381

Prophets, the Holy Spirit spake by

the mouth of the, 243.
always despised by scoffers, 313.

Publication of the gospel, why it is
called a fellowship, 254.

Purpose of God, the, is the original
fountain of grace, 28.

Put on Christ, to, meaning of the me-
taphor, 110.

Q

QureEN, the, a name given by the doc-
tors of the Sorbonne to the
mind, 289, 295.

Quench, why this word is used in re-
ference to the darts of Satan,
340.

R

RaPHELius quoted, 267.

Reconciliation, Christ is the Mediator
of, 162.

Redeeming the time, what is the price
of, 314,

Regeneration is called the life of God,
291.

the design

296.

the world is contrasted with,
27.

contemplated by,

is the principle which cements
Jews and Gentiles, 238.
Remedy for sinful passions, 162.
two remedies for anger, 298.
Removed from Christ, what is meant
by, 29.
Repentance, of what it consists, 294.
Reprobate, the, are restrained by God,
293.
Resurrection of Christ, the, is the
commencement of his reign,
24.
Respect of persons forbidden, and
the example of God held out,
333.
Right hand of God, the, what it de-
notes, 215.
fills heaven and earth, 216.
Righteousness is perfect obedience to
the law, 67.
Righteousness of the law not renounced
by believers, 71.
controversy relating to, 89.
Roman Antichrist, the, exposure of
the impudent pretensions of, 62.

Ss

SAcRAMENTs treated by Paul in two

points of view, 111.
are seals of the word, 320.

Saints of the Lord, the, ought to be
regarded by us with high ad-
miration, 45.

believers are, 196.

Salvation cannot be obtained both by
the law and by the promise of
God, 98.

is ascribed to the mercy of God,.
226.
causes of our, 200.

Sanderson quoted, 167.

Satan is God’s executioner to punish
man’s ingratitude, 221.

taints the purity of the gospel by
introducing false and corrupt
opinions, 154.

Schoolmaster, the law is compared to
a, 108.

Scoffers at the word of God have been
found in all ages, 313.

Scripture sometimes denotes the law
itself, 105.

should always be interpreted in
its natural and obvious mean-
ing, 136.

Sealing of believers by the Holy

Spirit, 208.

of the doctrine of the Apostle
Paul by the effectual working
of the Holy Spirit, 59.

Seed of Abraham, believers are the,
112.

Seeds, why put in the plural number,

See Causes.

Servants, the duties of, 329.
‘must not be satisfied with ren-
dering eye-service, 331.
Servetus, his blasphemies refuted, 114.
Severity towards offenders ought to
be avoided, 170.

Shadows of the law swallowed up by
the truth of the gospel, 185.

Sin was not brought by Christ, but
revealed by him, 72.

Sincerity incompatible with ambition,
36.

Sineerity of the Apostle Paul con-
trasted with the designs of the
false apostles, 184.

Sinner sometimes denotes a profane
person, 66.

Sins of other men must not be in-
dulged or overlooked by us, 173.

Slavery of the law, 113.

INDEX.

Slaying the enmity, what is denoted
by, 239.
Sorbonne, college of the, 258.
designation given to the mind by,
289, 295.
Sources of the corruption of doctrine,
36.
Sowing to the flesh and to the Spirit,
178.
Spirit sometimes means the grace of
regeneration, 81, 163.
contrasted with the flesh, 142.
put for the spiritual life, 178.
Spirit, Holy. See Holy Spirit.
Spiritual, duties of those who are, 172.
are not the subjects or slaves of
sin, 162.
why songs are so called, 316.
Spiritual adversaries are very formid-
able, 336.
but must be courageously resisted,
aarhn Wen
armour for contending against,
304.
Spiritual death is the alienation of the
soul from God, 219.
is a universal disease, 220.
Spiritual life, spirit put for, 178.
there is none but that which is
breathed into us by Christ, 224.
Stubbornness, unbelief is the mother
of, 222.
Subversion of the gospel is an enor-
mous crime, 31.
Superstitions, the Papists are full of, 29.
Sword, to what is the instrument com-
pared? 329.
Sympathy with the distresses of our
brethren enjoined, 302.

T

TeacHers of the word distinguished

from pastors, 280.
ingratitude of withholding tem-

poral support from, 176.

Temple of God, believers constituted
one, 245.

Temporal support due to the minis-
ters of the word, 176.

Testaments, comparison of the Old and
New, ]13.

The two tables of the law, 159.

Threatenings, what is included in the
word, 332.

Three things which Christians are re-
quired to hold in abhorrence,
305.

INDEX. 083

Timothy, why he was circumcised, 50.
Titus, why he was not circumcised, 59.
Traditions of the fathers, what is
meant by, 38.
Trinity of persons in the Godhead
proved by the ordinance of bap-
tism, 269.
Truth, what it is to obey the, 79.
is compared to a girdle, 338.
Truth, or integrity, sometimes termed
Faith, 168:
Truth of the gospel denotes its genuine
purity, 52.
Truth, the word of, why the gospel is
called, 207.
Tychicus commended, 344.

U

Unpenier is the mother of all stub-
bornness, 222,
Unbelievers, causes of the difference
of believers from, 289.
Uncireumcision, Paul was the apostle
Of Ore
put for the Gentiles, 58.
was the mark of a profane person,
232.
Union between Christ and believers,
322.
Unity of the Church, the, is promoted
by meekness, 267.

W

Wak denotes the outward actions,
169,

Washing of the soul, why baptism is
called the, 319.
Well-doing, what it denotes, 179.
Will denotes the good pleasure of God,
28.
Wirtemberg, Duke of, Calvin’s dedica-
tion to, ix.
Wisdom, what is the true, 315.
Witsius quoted, 64.
Wives, the duties of, 317.
Word put for the promise of God, 321.
Word of God, the, the majesty of, 33.
needs not the testimony of men,
49.
put for the doctrine of godliness,
Wife
the Papists wickedly take away
certainty from, 285.
Word of truth, why the gospel is called,
207.
Works, justification cannot be both by
faith and by, 85.
Works of the flesh, the, 166.
heresies enumerated among, 166.
Works of the law, the, what is meant
by, 67. 5
what is it to be of, 88.
World, the, what is meant by, 27.
is the object of the old man, 185,
how it is crucified, 84.
is contrasted with regeneration,
Pile
Worship, false, how it must appear in
the sight of God, 291.

Z

Zar, the good and the bad, 130, n. 1.

EDINBURGH : T. CONSTABLE, TRINTER TO HER MAJESTY.

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eS " Pant nash shntntnnenih ata ea CE OW WN Hes Od Dita koe stecace tame tae
noes oan - ‘ : . ot — tn ot Mtn ree ’
= pron = : “ 2 “ " 8-4 ator sath
. ; > : " as nan ra a eae tae cactintn-tehngunenes
"’ n * a te